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Cellulose/poly(ethylene imine) composites as efficient and reusable adsorbents for heavy metal ions

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Abstract

A series of Cellulose/poly-ethylene imine (PEI) composites were prepared by grafting hyperbranched PEI onto cellulose chains in alkali/urea aqueous solvent system through “one step” method. The SEM results showed that the Cellulose/PEI composite maintained porous structure. The Cellulose/PEI composites were tested as Cu(II) adsorbents through thermodynamics and kinetics study. The adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics equation. The adsorption isotherms could be described by both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The maximum adsorption amount was calculated to be 285.7 mg/g. The composites showed good stability so that they could be used in a wide range of pH and temperature. Besides, the Cu(II) loaded Cellulose/PEI composite could also be easily regenerated by dilute sulfuric acid and still keep a major adsorption capacity. Finally, the adsorption capacities of Celluloes/PEI composite towards other metal ions, such as Zn(II), Ni(II), Cr(III) and Pb(II), were also demonstrated. It will be a new high-performance and environmental friendly material for sewage disposal and metal pollution treatment with promising developmental potential.

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Acknowledgments

This work is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51273067, 21544003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics and Materials Science & Shanghai Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance, East China Normal University, 3663 North Zhongshan Road, Shanghai, 200062, People’s Republic of China

    Hao Ge, Hailong Huang, Min Xu & Qun Chen

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  1. Hao Ge
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  2. Hailong Huang
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Correspondence to Min Xu.

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Ge, H., Huang, H., Xu, M. et al. Cellulose/poly(ethylene imine) composites as efficient and reusable adsorbents for heavy metal ions. Cellulose 23, 2527–2537 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-016-0973-3

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