Towards a practical solution for removing inorganic mercury from drinking water using gold nanoparticles

Abstract

We describe an innovative approach based on alloying of metals to remove metal ions from drinking water. A novel adsorbent, gold nanoparticle supported on alumina, was developed for the removal of inorganic mercury from water. The observed adsorption capacity for mercury is 4.065 gm per gm of gold nanoparticles, which is ∼10 times higher metal adsorption capacity than previously reported adsorbents. Gold nanoparticle has been supported on alumina, at a capacity of 738 mg/kg alumina, for use in practical applications. Batch and column studies were done for adsorption analysis and a practical filter has been developed. The interaction between gold and mercury was studied using UV-vis, TEM, SEM, EDAX and XRD. The chemistry of metal alloying can be utilized for sequestration of mercury from drinking water. Established separation techniques for recovery of metals from the alloy can be utilized, making this a complete solution for drinking water applications.