Highly-efficient and recyclable Bi2O2CO3 adsorbent achieved by surfactant modification and its application in pollutant removal

Herein we have developed a highly efficient and recyclable Bi2O2CO3 (BOC) adsorbent by introducing different surfactants during the hydrothermal synthesis of BOC nanostructures. It is demonstrated that the CTAB modified BOC sample (termed as BOC-CTAB) exhibits the highest adsorption performance for removing organic pollutants and Cr(VI) ions. More interestingly, the developed BOC adsorbent can be easily regenerated via a simple photodegradation process and exhibits excellent reusability. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of methyl orange (MO) and Cr(VI) onto the BOC-CTAB adsorbent were systematically investigated. The effect of adsorbent dosage, MO concentration and temperature on the adsorption of MO onto BOC-CTAB was predicted by response surface methodology (RSM). Moreover, the adsorption performance of BOC-CTAB towards various organic pollutants at different acidic-alkaline environments was further compared; among them, the strongest adsorption is observed for congo red (CR) with qe(pH 2) = 962 mg g-1.

Automated summary

A highly efficient and recyclable Bi2O2CO3 (BOC) adsorbent with excellent adsorption performance for removing organic pollutants and Cr(VI) ions has been developed using different surfactants during the hydrothermal synthesis of BOC nanostructures. The CTAB modified BOC sample (BOC-CTAB) demonstrates the highest adsorption performance and can be easily regenerated through a simple photodegradation process. The adsorption kinetics, isotherms and thermodynamics of methyl orange (MO) and Cr(VI) onto BOC-CTAB were systematically investigated.