Development of MoS2/cellulose aerogels nanocomposite with superior application capability for selective lead(II) capture

Abstract

The development of highly efficient and practical adsorbents for selective lead(II) capture remains an urgent challenge to be overcome. Herein, a new nanocomposite (W-MoS2@CA) was prepared by confining MoS2 nanosheets with widened interlayer spacing in the cross-linked cellulose aerogels. W-MoS2@CA combines the excellent handling, flow characteristics, and porous structure of aerogels with the specific affinity and accessible interior spaces of MoS2 toward lead cation. The adsorbent shows outstanding adsorption capacity and fast kinetics for lead removal. Benefiting from the high affinity between MoS2 and lead, W-MoS2@CA exhibits excellent adsorption selectivity even in the solution containing multiple coexisting heavy metal ions and high concentrations of competing mineral cations. The centimeter/millimeter-sized of the 3D cellulose mesh skeleton significantly improves the hydraulics property of nanocomposite, enabling it to be conveniently used in the flow system. The considerable treatment volume in fixed-bed indicated that W-MoS2@CA is of great potential for lead removal in practice. In addition, W-MoS2@CA can be readily regenerated with negligible adsorption capacity loss after 5 adsorption − desorption cycles. These results confirm that W-MoS2@CA has a great prospect in the water remediation of lead-removing, and this work may provide a new avenue for the application of MoS2 as an effective adsorbent in practical water/wastewater treatment.