Adsorption properties of nanotube type halloysite clay mineral for La3+ ions

Abstract

This paper presents the results of research on the adsorption capacity of La3+ ions from aqueous solution of nanotube-type halloysite. The influence of operational conditions such as contact time, initial concentration of La3+, initial pH of solution, halloysite mass and temperature on the adsorption of La3+ had also been examined. The results show that the optimal efficiency and adsorption capacity of La3+ reached 90.19% and 3.76 mg/g in the suitable conditions: haloysite mass 0.6 g/50 mL solution, initial La3+ ion concentration 50 mg/L, pH 5.8, contact time 60 minutes at room temperature (25oC). The adsorption isotherm was studied based on both Langmuir and Freundlich models. The adsorption kinetics were studied by both pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. These results open up prospects for the application of haloysite clay minerals to remove and recover La in polluted water.