Effective Removal of Pb(II) from Multiple Cationic Heavy Metals—An Inexpensive Lignin-Modified Attapulgite

Shuai Guo, Wei Zhang (), Yunguo Liu, Shiyong Tan, Hao Cai, Jing Geng and Xuanming Liu ()
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Shuai Guo: Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Developmental Regulation, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China
Wei Zhang: College of Environmetal Science & Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China
Yunguo Liu: College of Environmetal Science & Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China
Shiyong Tan: Hunan Engineering Research Center of Safe and Efficient Utilization of Heavy Metal Contaminated Arable Land, Changsha 410083, China
Hao Cai: Hunan Engineering Research Center of Safe and Efficient Utilization of Heavy Metal Contaminated Arable Land, Changsha 410083, China
Jing Geng: College of Environmetal Science & Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China
Xuanming Liu: Hunan Province Key Laboratory of Plant Functional Genomics and Developmental Regulation, College of Biology, Hunan University, Changsha 410012, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 14, 1-16

Abstract: To develop cost-effective heavy metal adsorbents, we employed water-soluble lignin from black liquor to modify activated attapulgite, resulting in the creation of a novel adsorbent called Lignin-modified attapulgite (LATP). In this study, scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer techniques were utilized to characterize the structural details of LATP. The results revealed that lignin occupies the micropores of attapulgite, while additional functional groups are present on the attapulgite surface. We conducted adsorption tests using LATP to remove five types of heavy metal ions (Cd 2+ , Pb 2+ , Zn 2+ , Mn 2+ , Cu 2+ ), and it was found that LATP exhibited greater removal mass and binding strength for Pb(II) compared to the other ions. For further investigation, batch experiments were performed to evaluate the adsorptive kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamics of Pb 2+ removal from aqueous solutions using LATP. The results indicated that the adsorption capacity of Pb(II) on LATP decreased with decreasing pH, while the presence of Na + had no effect on adsorption. The adsorption process reached equilibrium rapidly, and the Langmuir adsorption capacities increased with temperature, measuring 286.40 mg/g, 315.51 mg/g, and 349.70 mg/g at 298 K, 308 K, and 318 K, respectively. Thermodynamic analysis revealed positive values for ΔH 0 and ΔS 0 , indicating an endothermic and spontaneous adsorption process. Furthermore, ΔG 0 exhibited negative values, confirming the spontaneous nature of the adsorption. Consequently, LATP demonstrates great potential as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II). Therefore, LATP shows great potential as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) from natural water environments, contributing to the sustainable development of man and nature.

Keywords: lignin; attapulgite; Pb(II); adsorption; selective adsorption; isotherms; thermodynamic (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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