High Adsorption Graphene Oxide Prepared by Graphite Anode from Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries for Methylene Blue Removal

Abstract

Limited by the service life, a large amount of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have been produced in recent years. Without proper disposal, spent LIBs can cause environmental pollution and waste of resources. In this paper, we focus on the recycling of the graphite anode (GA) in spent LIBs. GAs from spent LIBs were converted to graphene oxide (GO) through a modified Hummers method. Then the prepared GO was applied to absorb methylene blue in dyeing wastewater under different reaction conditions. The experimental results indicate that GO can quickly and effectively adsorb methylene blue, which also exhibits thermal stability. The maximum adsorption capacity and removal rate are about 833.11 mg/g and 99.95%, respectively. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were investigated; the adsorption process of GO is more consistent with the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model while the isotherm is close to the Langmuir isotherm. This study is of great significance for the economy and environment. The reaction can turn waste into wealth and is a win-win approach for both spent LIBs recycling and dyeing wastewater cleaning.