Fly ash upcycling to functional silica nanomaterials: insights into synthetic strategies towards efficient adsorbents for water purification
Abstract
and well-defined pore architecture, in contrast to the denser or less-ordered structures obtained by the other two approaches. The materials were evaluated for adsorption of diclofenac, a commonly detected anionic water pollutant. Uptake experiments revealed that both the kinetics and capacity of adsorption were influenced by the degree of functionalization and pore accessibility. The surfactant-templated mesoporous silica displayed the most effective removal, achieving rapid initial adsorption and high capacity. This study offers a side-by-side comparison of scalable pathways for producing high-performance adsorbents from industrial waste. The findings provide insight into how synthetic strategy selection can tailor physicochemical properties, guiding the design of fly ash-derived materials for environmental remediation and other functional applications.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Adsorption and biosorption for pollutant removal
Phosphorus and nutrient management
Fluoride Effects and Removal
Publication details
- Journal / source
- RSC Advances
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 362–369
- Publication date
- 1 January 2026
- Language
- EN