A Study on the Adsorption Characteristics of Orthophosphates on Rutile-Type Titanium Dioxide in Aqueous Solutions

Rutile-type titanium dioxide is widely used as a pigment for paint, coating ink, paper, plastic products, and cards because of its very whiteness and outstanding hiding property. It has two weak properties to be improved, however, one being its coagulation in compounding and the other its decreasing whiteness owing to poor heat resistance. To solve these problems, a study on the treatment of titanium dioxide surfaces by adsorption technology has been performed. Experiments have been carried out to establish the adsorption isotherms of orthophosphates on titanium dioxide and to investigate the effect of organic solvents on adsorption. It is shown that the adsorption isotherms vary with pH. A Freundlich adsorption isotherm is suitable for the acidic and basic regions, while a Langmuir adsorption isotherm is suitable for the region of pH 5-8 where a maximum adsorption has been achieved. In aqueous solutions containing organic solvents, the adsorption was strongest with aqueous solutions containing 1 wt% toluene and weakest with those containing 1 wt% ethanol. Among the alcohols used, the adsorption was strongest with the aqueous solution containing 1 wt% butanol and weakest with that containing 1 wt% ethanol, thus showing a correlation with the molecular weight of the alcohol. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.