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Graphene-Diatom Silica Aerogels for Efficient Removal of Mercury Ions from Water
Shervin Kabiri1, Diana N H Tran1, Sara Azari1
1School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia.
Abstract:
A simple synthetic approach for the preparation of graphene-diatom silica composites in the form of self-assembled aerogels with three-dimensional networks from natural graphite and diatomite rocks is demonstrated for the first time. Their adsorption performance for the removal of mercury from water was studied as a function of contact time, solution pH, and mercury concentration to optimize the reaction conditions. The adsorption isotherm of mercury fitted well with the Langmuir model, representing a very high adsorption capacity of >500 mg of mercury/g of adsorbent. The prepared aerogels exhibited outstanding adsorption performance for the removal of mercury from water, which is significant for environmental applications.

