Efficient and selective removal of heavy metals using microporous layered silicate AMH-3 as sorbent

AMH-3 is a zeolite-like material with a three-dimensional uniform porous structure, layered structure, and abundant exchangeable cations. Herein, the use of AMH-3 to remove heavy metals present in aqueous solutions is investigated for the first time. Pristine AMH-3 and metal-sorbed AMH-3 were characterized with inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), 29Si cross polarization magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (CP MAS NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The removal of heavy metals by AMH-3 was found to be governed by ion exchange rather than surface adsorption, and no significant change occurred in the structure of the AMH-3 during the ion exchange. The removal of various heavy metal ions (Pb2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+) onto AMH-3 from aqueous solutions was conducted using a batch method. The effects of influential parameters, such as the initial metal ion concentration and contact time, on the sorption process were studied. The metal ion sorption capacity and removal efficiency were mainly dependent on the difference between the effective pore size of the AMH-3 and the hydrated radius of the metal ion. The sorption isotherm data were well fitted by Langmuir (for Pb2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+) and Freundlich (for Cd2+) models. The sorption kinetics data were well fitted by a pseudo-secondorder kinetic model. Competitive sorption experiments revealed an order of metal ion affinity of Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+. These findings indicate that AMH-3 is suitable for the efficient and selective removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions.