Porous ceramic modified with hydrous manganese oxide as potential sorbent of cadmium and lead in water
CRIS JERICHO G. CRUZ1, DARYL JOHN A. LIBIANO1, RIENYL AIKEN M. BACONGALLO1, RAMON ANGELO N. SINCO1, and NORWELL BRIAN C. BAUTISTA2
1Philippine Science High School – Western Visayas Campus, Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute, Philippines
2University of the Philippines Visayas, Miagao, Iloilo 5023, Philippines
Abstract
Hydrous manganese oxide (HMO) is capable of adsorbing heavy metals in water, specifically cadmium and lead. HMO was integrated into porous ceramic water filter using 3-minotriethoxysilane (APTES) as a coupling agent. Three porous ceramic samples, one modified with HMO using APTES, another modified with HMO without APTES, and one unmodified porous ceramic, were viewed under a JEOL JSM-5510LV model Scanning Electron Microscope to view their external morphological structures. Images show that porous ceramic modified with HMO using APTES have serrated bulb-like structures compared to the amorphous covering exhibited by the porous ceramic modified with HMO only. The porous ceramic modified with HMO was then exposed to cadmium and lead solutions of known concentrations. The amount of the heavy metals in the solution was then quantified using Agilent Microwave Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometer system. The analysis shows that porous ceramic modified with HMO using APTES results to lower amounts of cadmium and lead in water samples compared to porous ceramic only.
Keywords: heavy metals, porous ceramic, hydrous manganese oxide, lead, cadmium