A Cleaner Al2O3-ZrO2/MMT Nanocomposite Adsorbent Based on Al-Zr Tanning Waste

Abstract

A nanocomposite absorbent of Al2O3-ZrO2/MMT (AlMMT) was produced by intercalating Al2O3-ZrO2 into interlayers of MMT (montmorillonite), which was from the waste of Al-Zr tanning agent used when making leather. The AlMMT nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, TEM and SEM. The factors that affected the adsorbtion process of Cr3+ were also analyzed. Cr3+ was adsorbed on the surface of AlMMT. The adsorbing processes were mainly surface adsorption, ion exchange and electrostatic forces. Cr3+ adsorption kinetics and isotherm of AlMMT can be described by pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir equation at 25oC.