Systematic Investigation of the Synergistic and Antagonistic Effects on the Removal of Pyrene and Copper onto Mesoporous Silica from Aqueous Solutions

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals have attracted greater attention due to their single or complex risks. It is urgent to find useful methods to remove these two pollutants together. In this study, SBA15 and MCM-41 were selected and used for the simultaneous removal of pyrene and copper from aqueous solution. Batch experiments were conducted systematically by investigating the adsorption behavior and effects including kinetics, isotherms, ionic strength and pH effects. Experimental results showed that the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order model fitted the adsorption behavior better. The solution pH values and ionic strength affected the adsorption behavior greatly. Furthermore, the synergistic or antagonistic effects could be observed on the adsorption of pyrene and copper onto MCM-41 and SBA15, respectively. The synergistic and antagonistic effects of pyrene and copper onto mesoporous silica may be attributed to the size of pyrene–copper complex and the average pore size of adsorbents. With the higher pore size, the complex would be adsorbed onto the inner surface of MCM-41 which showed synergistic effect on the adsorption of pyrene and copper. This study shows new guidelines and insight into the study of adsorption behavior of PAHs and heavy metals from aquatic environments.