Lignin nanoparticles as a highly efficient adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous media

Abstract

This work demonstrated enhanced adsorption capabilities of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs) synthesized via a straightforward hydrotropic method compared to pristine lignin (PL) powder for removing methylene blue dye from aqueous solutions. Kraft lignin was used as a precursor and p-toluenesulfonic acid as the hydrotrope to produce spherical LNPs with ~ 200 nm diameter. Extensive characterization by SEM, AFM, DLS, zeta potential, and BET verified successful fabrication of microporous LNPs with fourfold higher specific surface area (14.9 m2/g) compared to PL (3.4 m2/g). Significantly reduced particle agglomeration and rearranged surface chemistry (zeta potential of −13.3 mV) arising from the self-assembly of lignin fractions under hydrotropic conditions enabled the application of LNPs and superior adsorbents compared to PL. Batch adsorption experiments exhibited up to 14 times higher methylene blue removal capacity, from 20.74 for PL to 127.91 mg/g for LNPs, and ultrafast equilibrium uptake within 3 min for LNPs compared to 10 min for PL. Kinetic modeling based on pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equations revealed chemisorption as the predominant mechanism, with a rate constant of 0.032825 g/mg·h for LNPs—over an order of magnitude higher than PL (0.07125 g/mg·h). Isotherm modeling indicated Langmuir monolayer adsorption behavior on relatively uniform lignin surface functional groups. The substantially augmented adsorption performance of LNPs arose from the increased surface area and abundance of surface functional groups, providing greater accessibility of chemically active binding sites for rapid dye uptake. Overall, this work demonstrates that tailoring lignin nanoparticle structure and surface chemistry via scalable hydrotropic synthesis is a simple and sustainable approach for producing highly efficient lignin-based nano-adsorbents for organic dye removal from industrial wastewater.