A modified ionic liquid clay to remove heavy metals from water: investigating its catalytic activity

The new clay modified with triazole and triazolium ligands was prepared in this research. These materials were applied as abundant and eco-friendly adsorbents for removal of heavy metal ions such as Pb(II), Co(II) and Zn(II) ions. The adsorption efficiency of these materials was calculated by relevant equations such as Langmuir and Freundlich as well as kinetic studies with pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order models. These adsorbents proved to be very active on heavy metal ion adsorption. The characterization of these new materials was carried out by various techniques such as X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy as well as SEM-map analysis. Eventually, the catalytic activity of the adsorbents which treated with heavy metal ion solutions was studied in the reduction of nitroarenes to its corresponding amines. The prepared adsorbent–catalyst materials indicated efficient catalytic activity in the reduction of nitroarenes to amines in ambient conditions.