Adsorption of Cu2+ on spherical Fe-MCM-41 and its application for oxidation of adamantane

Fe-MCM-41 with varying Si/Fe ratios (20, 50, 70 and 90) were prepared by using cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide (CTAB) as the structure-directing agent (SDA), tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica source and ethanol as co-surfactant in alkaline medium. The characterization was done by SEM; UV-vis diffused reflectance and FT-IR. Adsorption of copper solutions with varying parameters such as concentration, temperature and pH were performed over Fe-MCM-41 samples. The experimental data fitted well to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm. Fe-MCM-41 having Si/Fe ratio (90) showed highest copper adsorption capacity at pH 5.5, Cu(2+) concentration of 59.6 ppm and temperature 323 K. Fe-MCM-41(90)-Cu(59.6) was tested as a catalyst for oxidation of adamantane using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. The GC analyses revealed significant conversion of 32.5% and selectivity of 54% towards formation of 1-adamantanol.