Removal of priority and emerging pollutants from aqueous media by adsorption onto synthetic organo-funtionalized high-charge swelling micas.

In this work, the removal of different types of emerging pollutants (four perfluoroalkyl compounds, two preservatives, three surfactants and nine pharmaceutical compounds) from aqueous solution by adsorption onto two novel synthetic clays, a high-charge swelling mica (Na-Mica-4) and an organo-functionalized mica (C-Mica-4), was evaluated. Na-Mica-4 and C-Mica- 4 were prepared and characterized by X-Ray diffraction, Zeta potential, specific surface area, thermogravimetric analysis and transmission electron microscopy, before and after adsorption experiments. The influence of the aqueous sample pH, salt addition and extraction time in the removal were evaluated. The results showed the high adsorption affinity of C-Mica-4 for most of the emerging pollutants analysed after a removal time of 24 h (14 out of 18 pollutants were effectively removed [70-100%]). A high correlation was observed between the log K of the selected emerging pollutants and the adsorption onto C-Mica-4. The results also indicate that adsorption occurs in the interlayer space. While the removal rates with Na-Mica-4 were in the range 8-97% after seven days, some of the compounds, perfluorobutanoic acid and most of pharmaceutically active compounds, were not adsorbed onto the high-charge mica. C-Mica- 4 was effectively used for the removal of contaminants from four types of water samples.