Yian Zheng

Fast removal of copper ions from aqueous solution by chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite composites.

Novel chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid)/attapulgite (CTS-g-PAA/APT) composites were applied as adsorbents for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The effects of the initial pH value (pH(0)) of Cu(II) solution, contact time (t), APT content (wt%) and the initial concentration of Cu(II) solution (C(0)) on the adsorption capacity of the composites were investigated. Results from kinetic experimental data showed that the Cu(II) adsorption rate on the composites with 10, 20 and 30 wt% APT was fast and more than 90% of the maximum adsorption capacity for Cu(II) occurred within the initial 15 min. The adsorption kinetics was better described by the pseudo-second order equation, and their adsorption isotherms were better fitted for the Langmuir equation. The results of the five-time consecutive adsorption-desorption studies showed that the composites had high adsorption and desorption efficiencies, which implies that the composites may be used as quite effective adsorbents for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution.

Enhanced adsorption of Methylene Blue from aqueous solution by chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid)/vermiculite hydrogel composites

A series of chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid)/vermiculite hydrogel composites were synthesized and used as adsorbents for the investigation of the effect of process parameters such as vermiculite content, pH of dye solution, contact time, initial concentration of dye solution, temperature, ionic strength and concentration of surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate on the removal of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The results showed that the adsorption capacity for dye increased with increasing pH, contact time and initial dye concentration, but decreased with increasing temperature, ionic strength and sodium dodecyl sulfate concentration in the present of the surfactant. The adsorption kinetics of MB onto the hydrogel composite followed pseudo second-order kinetics and the adsorption equilibrium data obeyed Langmuir isotherm. By introducing 10 wt.% vermiculite into chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid) polymeric network, the obtaining hydrogel composite showed the highest adsorption capacity for MB, and then could be regarded as a potential adsorbent for cationic dye removal in a wastewater treatment process.

Evaluation of ammonium removal using a chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid)/rectorite hydrogel composite

This paper concerns the removal of ammonium ions (NH(4)(+)) from aqueous solution using a hydrogel composite chitosan grafted poly (acrylic acid)/rectorite prepared from in situ copolymerization. The effects of rectorite content, contact time, pH, NH(4)(+) concentration and temperature on the adsorption capacity were discussed. Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and Redlich-Peterson isotherms were used to describe the experimental data. The results indicate that the adsorption equilibrium can be achieved within 3-5 min and, the hydrogel composite has a higher adsorption capacity for NH(4)(+) in a wide pH levels ranged from 4.0 to 9.0. No significant changes in the adsorption capacity are found over the temperature range studied. The adsorption mechanism of NH(4)(+) onto hydrogel composite was proposed, and the reusable ability of this hydrogel adsorbent was evaluated.

Coated kapok fiber for removal of spilled oil.

Based on raw kapok fiber, two kinds of oil absorbers with high sorption capacity were prepared by a facile solution-immersion process. The coated polymer with low surface energy and rough fiber surface play important role in the retention of oil. The as-prepared fiber can quickly absorb gasoline, diesel, soybean oil, and paraffin oil up to above 74.5%, 66.8%, 64.4% and 47.8% of oil sorption capacity of raw fiber, respectively. The absorbed oils can be easily recovered by a simple vacuum filtration and the recovered coated-fiber still can be used for several cycles without obvious loss in oil sorption capacity. The thermodynamic study indicates that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic, with complex physisorption and chemisorption. The results suggest that the coated fiber can be used as a low-cost alternative for the removal of oil spilled on water surface.

Chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel with crosslinked polymeric networks for Ni2+ recovery

In this study, chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid) (CTS-g-PAA) hydrogel with crosslinked polymeric networks was prepared from an aqueous dispersion polymerization and then used as the adsorbent to recover a valuable metal, Ni2+. The adsorption capacity of CTS-g-PAA for Ni2+ was evaluated and the adsorption kinetics was investigated using Voigt-based model and pseudo-second-order model. In addition, the effects of pH values and coexisting heavy metal ions such as Cu2+ and Pb2+ on the adsorption capacity were studied. The results indicate that the as-prepared adsorbent has faster adsorption rate and higher adsorption capacity for Ni2+ recovery, with the maximum adsorption capacity of 161.80 mg g(-1). In a wide pH range of 3-7, the adsorption capacity keeps almost the same, and even under competitive conditions, the adsorption capacity of CTS-g-PAA for Ni2+ is observed to be as high as 54.47 mg g(-1). Finally, the adsorption performance of CTS-g-PAA for Ni2+ in real water sample and the reusability of the as-prepared adsorbent were evaluated, and also the controlled adsorption mechanism was proposed.

Research and application of kapok fiber as an absorbing material: A mini review

Kapok fiber corresponds to the seed hairs of the kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra), and is a typical cellulosic fiber with the features of thin cell wall, large lumen, low density and hydrophobic-oleophilic properties. As a type of renewable natural plant fiber, kapok fiber is abundant, biocompatible and biodegradable, and its full exploration and potential application have received increasing attention in both academic and industrial fields. Based on the structure and properties of kapok fiber, this review provides a summary of recent research on kapok fiber including chemical and physical treatments, kapok fiber-based composite materials, and the application of kapok fiber as an absorbent material for oils, metal ions, dyes, and sound, with special attention to its use as an oil-absorbing material, one predominant application of kapok fiber in the coming future.

Investigation of acetylated kapok fibers on the sorption of oil in water

Kapok fibers have been acetylated for oil spill cleanup in the aqueous environment. The structures of raw and acetylated kapok fiber were characterized using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Without severe damage to the lumen structures, the kapok fibers were successfully acetylated and the resulting fibers exhibited a better oil sorption capacity than raw fibers for diesel and soybean oil. Compared with high viscosity soybean oil, low viscosity diesel shows a better affinity to the surface of acetylated fibers. Sorption kinetics is fitted well by the pseudo second-order model, and the equilibrium data can be described by the Freundlich isotherm model. The results implied that acetylated kapok fiber can be used as the substitute for non-biodegradable oil sorption materials.

A simple approach to fabricate granular adsorbent for adsorption of rare elements.

A kind of granular hybrid hydrogel was prepared under an ambient temperature in air atmosphere using Fenton reagent as the redox initiator, and its three-dimensional structured polymeric network can be formed by the grafting reaction of acrylic acid (AA) onto hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) with attapulgite (APT) as the inorganic component. The resulting granular hybrid hydrogel was marked as HPC-g-PAA/APT and used as the adsorbent to remove the rare earth elements, La(III) and Ce(III). The effects of pH and APT content on the adsorption capacity, as well as the adsorption isotherms and kinetics, were systematically investigated. Finally, the reusability of HPC-g-PAA/APT for La(III) and Ce(III) were evaluated. The results indicate that the adsorption process is pH-independent at pH ≥ 4.0 and can be described using the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium isotherm matches well with the Langmuir model. The adsorbed La(III) and Ce(III) can be desorbed by 0.5 mol/L HCl, with the desorption percentage of 80% for La(III) and Ce(III). After five adsorption-desorption cycles, the adsorption capacity shows a slight decrease (about 15%), implying that the granular hybrid hydrogel can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal and recovery of La(III) and Ce(III) from aqueous solution.

Response Surface Methodology for Optimizing Adsorption Process Parameters for Methylene Blue Removal by a Hydrogel Composite

Response surface methodology was employed to optimize the adsorption parameters of Methylene Blue onto a chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid)/halloysite hydrogel composite with 50% halloysite content. Such optimization was undertaken to ensure a high efficiency over the experimental ranges employed, and to evaluate the interactive effects of the initial concentration of Methylene Blue, the pH and the temperature on the adsorption process in order to improve the conditions employed in the batch process. A total of 17 adsorption experimental runs were carried out employing the detailed conditions designed by response surface methodology based on the Box–Behnken design. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that a second-order polynomial regression equation was the most appropriate for fitting the experimental data. The experimental confirmation tests showed a correlation between the predicted and experimental responses (R2 = 0.9904). The optimal point obtained was located in the valid region and the optimum adsorption parameters were predicted as an initial Methylene Blue concentration of 1034 mg/ℓ, a pH value of 6.1 and a temperature of 41 °C. Under these adsorption conditions, a higher adsorption capacity of 1336.05 mg/g was achieved from a simulated dye solution.

Rapid enrichment of rare-earth metals by carboxymethyl cellulose-based open-cellular hydrogel adsorbent from HIPEs template

A series of monolithic open-cellular hydrogel adsorbents based on carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) were prepared through high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) and used to enrich the rare-earth metals La(3+) and Ce(3+). The changes of pore structure, and the effects of pH, contact time, initial concentration on the adsorption performance were systematically studied. The results show that the as-prepared monolithic hydrogel adsorbents possess good open-cellular framework structure and have fast adsorption kinetics and high adsorption capacity for La(3+) and Ce(3+). The involved adsorption system can reach equilibrium within 30min and the maximal adsorption capacity is determined to be 384.62mg/g for La(3+) and 333.33mg/g for Ce(3+). Moreover, these porous hydrogel adsorbents show an excellent adsorptive reusability for La(3+) and Ce(3+) through five adsorption-desorption cycles. Such a pore hierarchy structure makes this monolithic open-cellular hydrogel adsorbent be an effective adsorbent for effective enrichment of La(3+) and Ce(3+) from aqueous solution.