The effect of the calcination temperature treatment of boehmite over its adsorption ability of Co(II) is presented. The materials obtained were characterized through their crystal structure, morphology, specific surface area, surface hydroxyl group content, and Co(II) adsorption at room temperature. It was found that a maximum cobalt adsorption capacity of 1.6634× 10−3 meq Co2+.g-1 in boehmite calcined at 673 K, which showed the highest values of specific surface area and surface hydroxyl group content compared with the other boehmite samples. The specific surface area of boehmite samples became narrow when the calcination temperature was increased, and the cobalt ion adsorption onto boehmite depends on the specific surface area, but it depends mainly on the transition state of alumina because hydroxyl groups are regenerated on the surface of boehmite when the material is suspended in water; therefore, the calcined boehmite is suitable for cobalt adsorption.

Keywords: Boehmite, Cobalt ion, Adsorption, XRD.