Preparation of Phosphorus-Doped Boron Nitride Aerogel and Its Heavy Metal Ion Adsorption Properties
Journal Title: Energy Environmental Protection - Year 2025, Vol 39, Issue 2
Abstract
This study developed phosphorus-doped boron nitride aerogel (P-BN) through a sol-gelmethod combined with low-dimensional boron nitride (BN) assembly, aiming to address the critical challenge of removing heavy metal ions in industrial wastewater. Structural characterization using X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS) and synchrotron X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS)demonstrated that phosphorus doping introduced P—O—C and P—O functional groups, increased the interlayer spacing of BN from 0.334 nm to 0.347 nm, and enhanced mesopore volume by 32.7%.Nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms further revealed a specific surface area of 465.4 m/g and anultralight bulk density of 0.80 mg/cm, significantly lower than that of the undoped BN (1.24mg/cm). Adsorption experiments conducted at 25 ℃ showed that P-BN exhibited a Cu adsorption capacity of 413.3 mg/g, outperforming BN by 14.4%, with maximum capacities for Energy Environmental Protection Zn, Cd, and Pb reaching 338.5, 253.9, and 234.8 mg/g, respectively. Kinetic analysis indicated that the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics (R > 0.985) for P-BN, driven bychem isorption via coordination bonds between metal ions and PO groups, whereas BN adheredto pseudo-first-order kinetics (R > 0.996), indicative of physical adsorption. The Langmuir isothermmodels (R > 0.990) confirmed monolayer adsorption in both materials. Competitive adsorption tests inmixed solutions highlighted the selectivity of P-BN for Cu, with a selectivity coefficient α(Cu/Pb)of 2.17, which was attributed to d-orbital electron interactions between Cu and P—O groups.Thermodynamic studies identified 25 ℃ as the optimal temperature, beyond which the adsorption capacity decreased due to accelerated desorption kinetics. The superior adsorption performance of P-BN was attributed to three synergistic effects: (1) phosphorus-induced active sites accelerating surface reactions, (2) optimized mesoporous structure (average pore size reduced to 2.9 nm from 3.4 nmin BN) enhancing ion diffusion, and (3) stabilized coordination environments via P—O bonding.Furthermore, the scalable synthesis using low-toxicity precursors (boric acid, melamine, and redphosphorus) and the ultralight density of the material <1 mg/cm enable cost-effective fabrication and integration into dynamic filtration systems for large-scale wastewater treatment. Future research will focus on pilot-scale validation of long-term stability and mechanistic studies to elucidate the selective adsorption pathways in complex multi-ion environments.
Authors and Affiliations
Junzhong ZHANG,Zheng LIU,Bo LIU,Yanlong LI,
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP764931
- DOI 10.20078/j.eep.20240713
- Views 9
- Downloads 0
Carbon sequestration by microalgae to reduce carbon emission and strengthening strategy
The widespread use of fossil fuels has led to a significant increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to the adverse effects of global climate change and impacting ecosystems worldwide....
Study progress on the synergistic catalytic removal of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds
Coupling NH_3-SCR denitration and VOCs purification in flue gas treatment of typical industries such as waste incineration and steel smelting, developing multi-pollutants synergistic control theory and technology to coll...
Simultaneous Removal of Heavy Metals and Organic Matter by Ferrous Hydroxyl Complex Coupled with Ozone: A Case Study of Cu(Ⅱ)-EDTA Removal
Heavy metal-organic complexes in industrial wastewater pose significant challenges due to their resistance to biological treatment. This study proposes the use of ferrous hydroxyl complex (FHC) to break down copper ethyl...
Research progress in the preparation of high value added chemicals by directional pyrolysis of biomass
The production of petroleum-based chemical products, which are used in various daily and industrial goods such as cosmetics, lubricants, plastic products, and synthetic fibers, has led to a heavy dependence on petroleum...
Applications and challenges of capacitive deionization technology in selective separation
The selective separation of ions in aqueous solutions is of significant importance for water purification and resource recovery. Capacitive deionization (CDI) has emerged as a novel electro-driven desalination process th...