Amino-functionalization of lignocellulosic biopolymer to be used as a green and sustainable adsorbent for anionic contaminant removal

Abstract

In this work, natural biopolymer stemming from lignocellulosic peanut hull biomass was used as a green and low-cost adsorbent to eliminate anionic Congo red (CR) and Cr(VI) ions from aqueous sample. In order to enhance the removal performance, the lignocellulosic biopolymer was subjected to amino-modification by the graft copolymerization of (3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride and N, N′-methylenebisacrylamide. The property of the prepared amino-functionalized biopolymer (AFB) was examined through FTIR, TG, SEM, particle size analysis, zeta potential determination and XPS. The adsorption efficacy of AFB for CR and Cr(VI) was tested at different pH, contact time and initial concentration. The kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamics investigations revealed that the uptakes of CR and Cr(VI) were the combination processes of chemical and physical interactions, and both endothermic in nature. The AFB exhibited good reusability without significant loss in adsorption capacity after five consecutive cycles. Mechanistic analysis indicated that the quaternary ammonium groups in AFB contributed a lot to the binding of anionic compounds through electrostatic attraction. In addition, n-π and hydrogen bonding while reduction and coordination were also responsible for the removal of CR and Cr(VI), respectively. The present study provides a favorable strategy for the removal of anionic contaminates in water by using green and sustainable lignocellulosic wastes.