ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Synthesis of aminated cellulose and its adsorption properties for heavy metals from aqueous solution

Chengzhen Du, Xiaoli Hu, Cheng Tang, Tao Hu, Xingbing Yang, Shuang Yan, Jiaqin Cai, Yao Chen, and Hongyu Deng

College of Chemical and Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University of Arts and Science, Dazhou, China

E-mail: lipodulu@163.com

Received: 6 February 2025  Accepted: 18 April 2025

Abstract:

Cotton contains a large amount of cellulose polymer, which has good application potential for removing pollutants from wastewater due to its broad availability, low-cost, and rich functional groups. In this work, absorbent cotton was grafted with polyethylene polyamine chains on the surfaces of the cotton fibers to obtain the modified cotton adsorbent triethylenetetramine carboxymethyl cellulose amide. The surface morphology and chemical structure of this adsorbent were characterized via FTIR, ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, and SEM/EDS. In addition, the adsorption performances of this adsorbent for Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions were evaluated via ICP spectroscopy. The results of the adsorption experiment indicate that the modified cotton adsorbent exhibited coordination properties and affinity for multiple metal ions. The fitting results of kinetic models showed that the adsorption was dominated by chemisorption, and the adsorption process involved both monolayer and multilayer adsorption. The maximum adsorption capacities for Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cd²⁺ were estimated to be 38.07, 94.27, and 195.39 mg/g, respectively. Therefore, this adsorbent derived from the abundant natural material cotton has great potential for treating wastewater polluted with heavy metals.

Keywords: Coordination Polymer; Inorganic Chemistry; Metal-organic Frameworks; Pollution Remediation; Soft Materials; Textile Engineering; Cotton based; Grafting; Metal ions; Adsorption; Polyamine group

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04078-5

Chemical Papers 79 (7) 4567–4576 (2025)