Removal of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate using surface-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) is widely used as an efficient detergent in various fields. It is also used to remove radioactive atoms including Cs ions, and as a result, Cs-bound SDBS are generated during a nuclear decontamination process. A silica-based adsorbent with mesopores was prepared and surface-functionalized with amine groups to have a positively-charged pocket for SDBS with electrostatic attraction. The removal of SDBS using such an adsorbent was investigated under various conditions. The removal of high SDBS concentration (more than 2000 ppm) was successfully carried out using both a mesoporous structure and electrostatic attraction. The effects of the initial SDBS concentration, the concentration of adsorbent, the SDBS adsorption time, and the pH in the adsorption of SDBS with the mesoporous silica-based adsorbent were investigated in detail. In addition, the adsorption of Cs ion-bound SDBS was investigated for a practical decontamination process, implying that the adsorbent did not remove Cs ions together with SDBS.