Adsorptive removal of Pb2+ from aqueous solution by magnetic biodegradable and polymeric cellulose/Nylon 6 @Fe3O4 nanocomposite encapsulated with chitosan

Abstract

A novel polymeric magnetic nanocomposite adsorbent (CNCs/N6 @ Fe 3 O 4 –CT) of low-cost, biodegradable, and ultra-permeable materials was prepared and characterized. The adsorbent was used to evaluate the effect of influencing factors and competitive ions on the adsorption of Pb 2+ ions. The obtained data was fitted to equilibrium and thermodynamic models. The chemical and structural features of the adsorbent were investigated using a range of characterization techniques, including a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). FTIR confirmed the presence of OH – , –NH 2 , and FeO sorption sites. SEM micrographs revealed presence of visible pores on the surface of the adsorbent, while VSM established a magnetic strength of 26.90 emu/g. The adsorption data fitted well with Langmuir isotherm, whereas the adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with a coefficient of determination (R 2 >0.98). The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption of Pb 2+ was exothermic and spontaneously adsorbed. The adsorption process was dominated by a chemical process with E > 10 kJ/mole, indicating an ion exchange process. The results established that the synthesized CNCs/N6 @ Fe 3 O 4 –CT nanocomposite adsorbent is viable for the removal of metal ions from aqueous solutions and has the potential for optimization and scale-up.