Shu Yan

Synthesis of low-cost porous ceramic microspheres from waste gangue for dye adsorption

Low-cost porous ceramic microspheres from waste gangue were prepared by simple spray drying and subsequent calcination. Effects of calcination temperature on phase and microstructure evolution, specific surface area, pore structure, and dye adsorption mechanism of the microspheres were investigated systematically. Results showed that the microspheres were spherical, with some mesopores both on the surface and inside the spheres. The phase kept kaolinite after calcined at 800 and 900°C and transformed into mullite at 1000°C. The microspheres calcined at 800°C showed larger adsorption capacity and removal efficiency than those calcined at higher temperatures. Methylene blue (MB) and basic fuchsin (BF) removal efficiency reached 100% and 99.9% with the microsphere dosage of 20 g/L, respectively, which was comparable to that of other low-cost waste adsorbents used to remove dyes in the literature. Adsorption kinetics data followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the isotherm data fit the Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption process was attributed to multiple adsorption mechanisms including physical adsorption, hydrogen bonding, and electrostatic interactions between dyes and gangue microspheres. The low-cost porous microspheres with excellent cyclic regeneration properties are promising absorbent for dyes in wastewater filtration and adsorption treatment.

Effects of Calcination Temperature on the Microstructure and Adsorption Properties of Attapulgite Microspheres

The attapulgite microspheres were produced by spray drying method and calcination process subsequently. The effects of calcination temperature on the microstructure and adsorption properties of methylene blue(MB) were investigated systematically. Results show that the median diameter of the microspheres increases after calcination. The adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of MB reaches the maximum values(96.62mg/g and 96.6%) after calcined at 600°C and decreases with the temperature increasing. The adsorption process can be described better by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and fit the the Langmuir equation. The attapulgite microsphere shows good adsorption properties, which may be used as potential applications in various dyeing wastewater fields.