Synthesis and Characterization of Modified Mesoporous Cerium(III) Silicates for Removal of Toxic Metal Ions

Since the synthesis of a new family of mesoporous molecular sieves [1], stimulated a renewed interest in developing new sorbents. Many new mesoporous materials have been developed and successfully used in removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous media [2-3]. Transition metal ions isomorphously substituted into the framework of mesoporous molecular sieves make them more efficient catalysts for selective oxidations and as potential sorbents for selective separations. Most of these modified mesoporous silicates used as efficient catalyst for organic reactions, but the little studies have been reported for their use as adsorbents. In our recent works, we reported the synthesis of modified MCM-41 by incorporation Ce(IV), Sn(IV) and Zr(IV) ions and their applications for removal of radionuclides from hazardous wastes [4-6]. In this paper, we report the synthesis of modified mesoporous cerium (III) silicates under varying conditions and their chemical and physical properties and sorption of toxic metal ions on these materials have been studied