Novel Approach for Synthesis of Mesoporous γ-AlOOH Powder from Coal-Bearing Kaolinite and its Enhanced Adsorption Performance for Congo Red and Fluoride

Mesoporous boehmite (γ-AlOOH) was synthesized from naturally occurring coal-bearing kaolinite (CBK) by direct sulfuric acid leaching and hydrothermal method to explore a new possible route to the synthesis of product with high value added using the CBK. The Brunauner-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the average crystallite size of the γ-AlOOH powder could be controlled in the range from 6.3 to 192.5 m 2 g - 1 and from 5.5 to 14.4 nm, respectively, by varying the reaction temperature and reaction time. Owing to its porous structure and high surface area, the synthesized mesoporous γ-AlOOH powder exhibited better adsorption abilities for CR and fluoride in contrast to commercial boehmite, and it only took 20 min to reach removal efficiency of 99.6% for CR and 90.5% for fluoride, when the initial concentration of CR and fluoride was 100 and 10 mg L - 1 , respectively.