Preparation and Adsorption Properties of Mesoporous Silica for Removal of Nonylphenolethoxylates Surfactant from Aqueous Solution

mesoporous silica (MPS) with different ratio silica /surfactant were prepared by sol-gel method based on the hydrolysis and condensation of sodium silicate in the presence of cationic or amphoteric surfactant as template. The silica prepared and their ordered mesostructures were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and nitrogen sorption analysis. The result indicate that the preparation of mesoporous silica were successful. The sample of higher surface area was used as adsorbent for the removal of nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) surfactant. The adsorption experiments were carried out to measure the adsorption as a function of contact time, adsorbent dose, and temperature in the range (298 - 328 K). The adsorption isotherm was constructed and fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The adsorption kinetic of NPE on MPS matched well with Pseudo-second-order and the values of thermodynamic parameters indicate that the adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic in nature.