Enhanced Cu (II) Adsorption from Aqueous Solutions by Sawdust (<i>Quercus mongolica</i>) Pretreated by Ionic Liquid-Water Mixture

Abstract

This work investigated the feasibility of Quercus mongolica sawdust pretreated by an ionic liquid-water mixture as a biosorbent for Cu (II) removal from aqueous solutions. Maximum Cu (II) biosorption of 32.6 mg/g is obtained at initial pH 4.3 using sawdust pretreated by a 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([C4miCl)-water mixture (IL content 60%) at 90oC, which is higher than that of unpretreated sawdust (23.0 mg/g, initial pH 6.1). The proposed method is effective in enhancing adsorption capacity of the biomass in comparison to the conventional methods using sulfur acid or sodium hydroxide solutions.