Versatile nanoadsorbents based on magnetic mesostructured silica nanoparticles with tailored surface properties for organic pollutants removal

Abstract This paper addresses the development of new magnetic silica-based nanoadsorbents and evaluates their potential application in the removal of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and aliphatic hydrocarbons. For this purpose, magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were covered with a hybrid shell of silica and 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl-octadecyldimethyl-ammonium chloride (TPODAC) as structure directing agent. The as-prepared hybrid material (MMST) was further modified with trimethoxyphenylsilane, obtaining a phenyl-functionalized nanoadsorbent (MMST-Ph). Both materials were thoroughly characterized with diverse physicochemical techniques, and batch sorption tests with single-contaminant and with mixtures of contaminants were performed. MMST-Ph proved to be more efficient for the adsorption of PAHs and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The presence of TPODAC and phenyl moieties anchored on the mesostructured silica frameworks resulted to be a key factor to obtain high PAHs uptakes from aqueous media. In the case of CECs, ibuprofen (IBU), diclofenac (DCF) and carbamazepine (CBZ) were tested. These experiments demonstrated that even though MMST possesses better adsorption capacities of CECs, MMST-Ph achieved high IBU and DCF uptakes. Regeneration and reuse experiments showed that MMST-Ph can be reused in eight cycles without losing the adsorption capacity of anthracene. In the case of MMST, there was a 42% drop in the adsorption capacity of ibuprofen in the second cycle, whereas in the next seven cycles the adsorption capacity remained constant.The promising results obtained in this work strengthen the potential application of surface-modified magnetic silica nanoparticles for the removal of different types of organic pollutants from waters.