Ordered Mesopore Channels of SBA-15 for Contaminant Adsorption: Characterization, Kinetic, Equilibrium, and Thermodynamic Studies

SBA-15 is used in various processes, including adsorption, due to its textural properties, mesoporous channels, and silanol groups on the surface. These characteristics make it a promising material for the adsorption of emerging contaminants. This work evaluated the potential use of SBA-15 for the adsorption of bisphenol A (BPA), ciprofloxacin (CIP), and losartan (LS). This study showed that the material has highly ordered mesoporous channels and silanol groups on the surface, which influenced the affinity tests. SBA-15 exhibited the highest adsorption capacity (0.1317 mmol g-1) and removal percentage (60%) for CIP among the contaminants assessed. The adsorption mechanism was elucidated, revealing different interactions for each molecule. The kinetic curves for CIP adsorption indicated that the process reached saturation in 20 min, the equilibrium isotherm showed the highest adsorption at 15 degrees C, and the thermodynamic study shows an exothermic behavior and spontaneous process. The simplified batch design estimated that 27 g of SBA-15 is required to treat 10 L of 0.2 mmol L-1 initial CIP concentration solution and achieve 90% adsorption removal. This material demonstrated satisfactory performance in absorbing emerging contaminants.