Effect of pH and Coexisting Anions on Removal of Phosphate from Aqueous Solutions by Inorganic‐Based Mesostructures

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of pH and the presence of coexisting (competitive) anions on the removal of phosphate by titanium mesostructures synthesized using do- or hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide. To address these research objectives, experiments were conducted (1) under controlled initial pH values (2 to 10); and (2) through injection of nitrate, fluoride, chloride, or sulfate anions into a phosphate solution. Based on the experimental results, an initial of pH of 2 was found to be optimal for use of titanium mesostructures. The presence of fluoride anions in solution significantly decreased the removal efficiency of phosphate removal (3.56% at 3.95 mg/g). However, the addition of nitrate, chloride, and sulfate anions did not affect phosphate removal.