Adsorptive Performance of Nanoscale a-Al2O3 Towards La(III)

Abstract

Nanomaterials are ideal adsorptive materials for trace element and have great potential. In this paper, the preparation of a-Al₂O₃ and its adsorptive and desorptive properties towards La³⁺ in aqueous phase were studied. The effect of pH, temperature and time on the adsorption of La³⁺ by nanoscale a-Al₂O₃was discussed. The results showed that the adsorptive effect of the a-Al₂O₃on La³⁺ is the best over the range of pH 5-7. Adsorptive rate increases with increasing temperature, but the effect of temperature is not high. Thus, the adsorption is generally carried out at room temperature. When adsorptive time is 20 min, the adsorptive ratio is the highest and reaches 92.14 %. It is found for the studies of desorptive conditions that when 0.1 mol/L AcOH was used as an adsorbent, the desorptive effect of La³⁺ was better. When the desorption was 6 h, the desorptive ratio reached to 97.03 %.