Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions

Adamovich, Sergey N.; Nalibayeva, Arailym M.; Abdikalykov, Yerlan N.; Turmukhanova, Mirgul Zh.; Filatova, Elena G.; Chugunov, Alexandr D.; Ushakov, Igor A.; Oborina, Elizaveta N.; Rozentsveig, Igor B.; Verpoort, Francis

doi:10.3390/ijms26167903

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Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions

by

Sergey N. Adamovich

^1,*

,

Arailym M. Nalibayeva

²,

Yerlan N. Abdikalykov

^2,3,

Mirgul Zh. Turmukhanova

³,

Elena G. Filatova

⁴,

Alexandr D. Chugunov

⁴,

Igor A. Ushakov

¹,

Elizaveta N. Oborina

¹,

Igor B. Rozentsveig

^1,*

and

Francis Verpoort

^5,6

¹

E. Favorsky Irkutsk Institute of Chemistry, SB RAS, 1 Favorsky Str., 664033 Irkutsk, Russia

²

D.V. Sokolsky Institute of Fuel, Catalysis and Electrochemistry, 142 D. Kunaeva Str., Almaty 050010, Kazakhstan

³

Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, 71 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty 050040, Kazakhstan

⁴

Department of Chemistry, Irkutsk National Research Technical University, 83 Lermontov Str., 664074 Irkutsk, Russia

⁵

State Key Laboratory of Advanced Technology for Materials Synthesis and Processing, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Wuhan 430070, China

⁶

Joint Institute of Chemical Research (FFMiEN), Peoples Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), 6 Miklukho-Maklaya Str., 117198 Moscow, Russia

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(16), 7903; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167903

Submission received: 25 June 2025 / Revised: 11 July 2025 / Accepted: 12 August 2025 / Published: 15 August 2025

(This article belongs to the Section Physical Chemistry and Chemical Physics)

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Abstract

Zeolites are widely used as adsorbents due to their porous structure and ion-exchange capabilities. However, their adsorption efficiency for heavy metal ions remains limited. To enhance their performance, the natural zeolite heulandite (Z) was functionalized with guanidine derivatives: N-[3-(triethoxysilyl)propyl]guanidine (1), -aminoguanidine (2), and -acetyl-guanidine (3). The resulting materials (Z1–Z3) were evaluated for their ability to adsorb Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ni²⁺ from aqueous solutions. The composition and structure of silanes 1–3 were confirmed by FT-IR and ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy methods. The modified zeolites were characterized using nitrogen adsorption/desorption (BET) and SEM-EDX to confirm their functionalization and assess the structural changes. A TGA-DSC was used to determine the thermal stability. The adsorption experiments were conducted in single and multi-ionic aqueous solutions at pH 5.0 to evaluate metal uptake. Functionalization significantly improved the adsorption efficiency, with Z1–Z3 showing a three to six times greater adsorption capacity than the unmodified zeolite. The adsorption efficiency followed the trend Cu²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Ni²⁺, primarily due to chelate complex formation between the metal ions and guanidine groups. The SEM-EDX confirmed the co-localization of nitrogen atoms and metal ions. The functional materials (Z1–Z3) exhibited strong potential as adsorbents for noble, heavy, and toxic metal ions, and could find applications in industry, agriculture, ecology, medicine, chemistry, wastewater treatment, soil remediation, chemisorption, filtration, chromatography, etc.

Keywords: natural zeolite; silanes; modification; adsorption; Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II) ions

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MDPI and ACS Style

Adamovich, S.N.; Nalibayeva, A.M.; Abdikalykov, Y.N.; Turmukhanova, M.Z.; Filatova, E.G.; Chugunov, A.D.; Ushakov, I.A.; Oborina, E.N.; Rozentsveig, I.B.; Verpoort, F. Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26, 7903. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167903

AMA Style

Adamovich SN, Nalibayeva AM, Abdikalykov YN, Turmukhanova MZ, Filatova EG, Chugunov AD, Ushakov IA, Oborina EN, Rozentsveig IB, Verpoort F. Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2025; 26(16):7903. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167903

Chicago/Turabian Style

Adamovich, Sergey N., Arailym M. Nalibayeva, Yerlan N. Abdikalykov, Mirgul Zh. Turmukhanova, Elena G. Filatova, Alexandr D. Chugunov, Igor A. Ushakov, Elizaveta N. Oborina, Igor B. Rozentsveig, and Francis Verpoort. 2025. "Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 26, no. 16: 7903. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167903

APA Style

Adamovich, S. N., Nalibayeva, A. M., Abdikalykov, Y. N., Turmukhanova, M. Z., Filatova, E. G., Chugunov, A. D., Ushakov, I. A., Oborina, E. N., Rozentsveig, I. B., & Verpoort, F. (2025). Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 26(16), 7903. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26167903

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Modification of the Zeolite Heulandite with N-(3-Triethoxysilylpropyl)guanidines Offers an Effective Approach to Enhancing Its Adsorption Capacity for Heavy Metal Ions

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