The current research presents the fabrication of mordenite nanoparticles via a hydrothermal technique using low-cost mixed
organic templates. The utilized templates such as (polyethylene glycol 200 and glycerol), (polyethylene glycol 200 and
ethylene glycol), (ethylene glycol and glycerol), and (ethylene glycol, polyethylene glycol 200, and glycerol) were named
PEG-GL, PEG-EG, EG-GL, and EG-PEG-Gl, respectively. Characterization of the fabricated nanoparticles was carried
using FE-SEM, HR-TEM, FT-IR, XRD, and BET techniques. XRD confirmed that the average crystallite sizes of PEG-GL,
PEG-EG, EG-GL, and EG-PEG-Gl were 86.78, 38.75, 98.70, and 45.96, respectively. Also, HR-TEM confirmed that the
average diameters of the previous samples were 80.42, 35.50, 92.85, and 44.73, respectively. In addition, FE-SEM confirmed
that the previous samples consist of (spherical and cup), (tree leaves and cylindrical rods), (cylindrical rods and spherical),
and (spherical and rods) shapes, respectively. Besides, characteristic vibrations of mordenite such as internal symmetric,
external symmetric, internal asymmetric, external asymmetric, and bending were detected using FT-IR at 690–705, 780–795,
1025–1030, 1222–1235, and 447–464 cm−1, respectively. The PEG-EG sample efficiently removed Pb(II) ions from aqueous
media where 17.40 mg/g is the capacity value. Pore diffusion, intra-particle diffusion, pseudo-first-order, and liquid film diffusion
kinetic models successfully described the removal of Pb(II) ions in the view of the kinetic study. In addition, Langmuir
isotherm successfully described the removal of Pb(II) ions in the view of the equilibrium study. Moreover, the exothermic
and chemisorption properties of the removal of Pb(II) ions were confirmed in the view of the thermodynamic study. The
capacity of the PEG-EG sample or % removal of Pb(II) ions was not greatly affected after five desorption-adsorption cycles. |
