Silylation of leached-vermiculites following reaction with imidazole and copper sorption behavior

Highlights: • Silylated vermiculites reacted covalently with imidazole. • Modified vermiculites adsorbed copper from aqueous solution. • Copper retention in all solids occurred at rapid time of 80 min. • Higher organic content on the solid improved the copper adsorption. - Abstract: Organically modified vermiculites were synthesized by previous silylation of three leached vermiculites, V0.3Cl, V0.5Cl and V0.8Cl, under anhydrous conditions following reaction with imidazole (Im), which acted as chelating agent for copper retention. Elemental analysis, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electronic microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, ²⁹Si and ¹³C NMR and nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements were used to characterize pristine, leached and organofunctionalized solids. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to evaluate the surface after copper sorption. Parameters such as contact time, pH and initial cation concentration for the adsorption of Cu(II) ions were investigated. The adsorption equilibrium data were fitted using the Langmuir isotherm model and the monolayer adsorption capacities were 2.38, 2.52 and 2.69 mmol g⁻¹ for V0.5Cl-Im, V0.3Cl-Im and V0.8Cl-Im, respectively, at pH 6.0 and 298 K for a time reaction of 80 min. The sorption rates were described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. The chloropropyl imidazole vermiculites are promising adsorbents for the rapid removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution.