Chromium adsorption by aligned carbon nanotubes supported ceria nanoparticles

Ceria nanoparticles supported on aligned carbon nanotubes (CeO2/ACNTs), a novel adsorbent for Cr(VI) from drinking water, were prepared by chemical reaction of CeCl3 with NaOH in aligned carbon nanotube solution and subsequent heat treatment. The best Cr(VI) adsorption effect of CeO2/ACNTs occurs at a pH range of 3.0–7.4. The largest adsorption capacity of CeO2/ACNTs reaches 30.2 mg g−1 at an equilibrium Cr(VI) concentration of 35.3 mg l−1 at pH 7.0. The experiment results suggest that CeO2/ACNTs have great potential applications in environmental protection.