Removal of Lead Cations by Novel Organoclays Derived from Bentonite and Amphoteric and Nonionic Surfactants

For many decades, natural and modified clay minerals have been used as adsorbents to clean up aquatic and soil ecosystems contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants. In this study, organoclays based on bentonite and various amphoteric and nonionic surfactants were synthesized and tested as effective sorbents for lead ions. The maximum values of R were obtained when describing the sorption processes using the Langmuir model, which ranged from 0.97 to 0.99. The adsorption of lead ions by these organoclays was investigated using different sorption models including the Langmuir, Freundlich, and BET. It was found that, according to the values of limiting adsorption to the Langmuir equation, the synthesized organoclays formed an increasing series: organoclay with cocamide diethanolamine < bentonite < organoclay with lauramine oxide < organoclay with sodium cocoiminodipropionate < organoclay with disodium cocoamphodiacetate < organoclay with alkyl polyglucoside. The Gibbs energy for all of the analyzed samples was calculated and found to be negative, indicating the spontaneity of the cation adsorption process in the forward direction. The maximum value of the adsorption capacity of lead cations on organoclay-based bentonite with alkyl polyglucoside was 1.49 ± 0.05 mmol/g according to the Langmuir model, and 0.523 ± 0.003 mmol/g as determined by the BET model. In the process of modifying bentonite, there was an increase in negative values of the zeta potential for organoclays compared to the initial mineral, which clearly enhanced their electrostatic interactions with the positively charged lead ions. It was hypothesized, based on the physicochemical principles, that exchange adsorption is the main mechanism for lead absorption. Based on chemical approaches, organoclays based on amphoteric surfactants absorb lead mainly through the mechanisms of electrostatic attraction, ion exchange, and complexation as well as the formation of insoluble precipitates. Organoclays based on nonionic surfactants, on the other hand, absorb lead through mechanisms of complexation (including chelation) and the formation of insoluble chemical precipitates. The comparison of isotherms from different models allows us to find the most accurate match between the model and the experimental data, and to better understand the nature of the processes involved.