Preparation and Characterization of Mercapto-Functionalized Calcined Attapulgite and Its Removal of Pb (II) and Cd (II) Solution

To enhance the sorption efficacy of attapulgite for heavy metals, mercapto-functionalized attapulgite (ATP-SH) was synthesized with mercaptan functional groups. When the mass-to-volume ratio of calcined attapulgite (ATP-C) to 3-Mercapropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) was 1 g:0.5 mL (ATP-SH-0.5) and the pH was set to 8, a strong adsorption capacity for Cd (II) and Pb (II) was demonstrated. This indicates excellent adsorption performance for these heavy metals. ATP-SH-0.5 exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 43.81 mg/g and 274.83 mg/g for Cd (II) and Pb (II), respectively, in a single ion system. In a binary ion system, the maximum adsorption capacity was 31.86 mg/L and 254.45 mg/L for Cd (II) and Pb (II), respectively. Various characterizations and experiments showed that the adsorption of Cd (II) and Pb (II) onto ATP-SH-0.5 involves ion exchange reactions involving hydroxyl and thiol functional group complexation reactions. This adsorption process follows a single-molecule layer adsorption mechanism. XPS results indicate that hydroxyl and grafted thiol functional groups on the surface of mercapto-functionalized attapulgite participated in surface complexation reactions with Cd (II) and Pb (II), resulting in the formation of Cd-S and Pb-S species. Overall, this study provides a promising mercapto-functionalized modification material for the remediation of polluted water and soil.