Preparation of silicon-doped ferrihydrite for adsorption of lead and cadmium: Property and mechanism

In this study, Si-doped ferrihydrite (Si-Fh) was successfully synthesized by a simple coprecipitation method for removal of heavy metals in water. Subsequently, the physicochemical properties of Si-Fh before and after adsorption were further studied using several techniques. The Si-Fh exhibited good adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions such as Pb(II) and Cd(II). The maximum adsorption capacities of lead and cadmium are respectively 105.807, 37.986 mg/g. The distribution coefficients of the materials for Pb(II) and Cd(II) also showed a great affinity (under optimal conditions). Moreover, it was found that the adsorption fit well with the Freundlich isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic model which means this was a chemical adsorption process. It can be conducted from both characterization and model results that adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II) was mainly through the complexation interaction of abundance oxygen functional groups on the surface of Si-Fh. Overall, the Si-Fh adsorbents with many superiorities have potential for future applications in the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from wastewater.