Radiation Synthesis of Pentaethylene Hexamine Functionalized Cotton Linter for Effective Removal of Phosphate: Batch and Dynamic Flow Mode Studies

Jifu Du,Long Zhao,Zhiyuan Lin,Xin Yang,Zhen Dong

doi:10.3390/ma12203393

Abstract

A quaternized cotton linter fiber (QCLF) based adsorbent for removal of phosphate was prepared by grafting glycidyl methacrylate onto cotton linter and subsequent ring-opening reaction of epoxy groups and further quaternization. The adsorption behavior of the QCLF for phosphate was evaluated in a batch and column experiment. The batch experiment demonstrated that the adsorption process followed pseudo-second-order kinetics with an R2 value of 0.9967, and the Langmuir model with R2 value of 0.9952. The theoretical maximum adsorption capacity reached 152.44 mg/g. The experimental data of the fixed-bed column were well fitted with the Thomas and Yoon–Nelson models, and the adsorption capacity of phosphate at 100 mg/L and flow rate 1 mL/min reached 141.58 mg/g. The saturated QCLF could be regenerated by eluting with 1 M HCl.

Highlights

Eutrophication means the enrichment of water in nutrients by nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, which cause an accelerated growth of algae and superior forms of vegetable life, leading to degradation of the aquatic ecosystem [1]
GMA was grafted onto cotton linter by radiation grafting technology
The results demonstrate that the maximum adsorption capacity was increased with the increasing of the phosphate concentration

Summary

Introduction

Eutrophication means the enrichment of water in nutrients by nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, which cause an accelerated growth of algae and superior forms of vegetable life, leading to degradation of the aquatic ecosystem [1]. The concentration of phosphorus is the key factor in eutrophication control. To protect eutrophication from phosphorus, regulations and guidelines of many countries have set limitations on phosphorus concentrations in discharging waters. The US has recommended that the average phosphorus concentration should not surpass. It is very important to remove low-concentration phosphorus from waters. Adsorption is considered an efficient technique for removing low-concentration contamination from wastewater. The advantages of adsorption are simple in design and operation, cheap to implement and effective at low concentrations [3,4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion