Adsorption Behavior of Environmental Hormone Bisphenol A onto Mesoporous Silicon Dioxide

Mesoporous silicon dioxide (meso-$SiO_2$) was prepared using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as the structure-directing reagent and tetraethyl orthosicate as the silicon source. The influence of pH value on the adsorption behavior of bisphenol A (BPA) was investigated. The adsorption capacity of BPA onto meso-$SiO_2$ increases slightly with pH value from 2 to 6, and then gradually decreases as further improving pH value. The effect of temperature was also studied, and the adsorption capacity of BPA gradually declines with increasing temperature. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics of BPA were examined. It is found that the adsorption of BPA onto meso-$SiO_2$ is in good agreement with Langmuir adsorption model. The rate constant of adsorption is $5.17{\times}10^{-3}g\;mg^{-1}\;min^{-1}$, and the maximum adsorption capacity is as high as 353.4 $mg\;g^{-1}$ at 20 $^{\circ}C$.