Surface modified alumina compact: A potential material for decontamination of trivalent and hexavalent chromium and growth inhibitor of microbes from water

A new hydrothermal approach has been investigated for synthesis of alumina which has been utilized for decontamination of trivalent and hexavalent chromium (Cr) as well as microbes from water. The heat treatment of aluminum nitrate and sucrose forms single phase g-alumina compact of 318 m 2 /g surface area at 1100 °C. The carbon particles present in aluminum nitrate- sucrose system get oxidized as carbon dioxide. The removal efficiency of synthesized alumina has been compared with commercial alumina and studied as a function of pH, time and adsorbent dose. Interestingly, synthesized alumina have better removal efficiency than commercial one. The adsorption data was best fitted to Langmuir isotherm suggesting monolayer adsorption. The adsorption capacity of the proposed material was found to be 11.76 mg g -1 and 11.9 mg g -1 for Cr (III and VI) respectively, which is better than several inorganic materials reported. The proposed alumina also inhibits growth of several bacteria like Baci