Preparation of modified alginate nanoflocculant and adsorbing properties for Pb2+ in wastewater

Abstract

A novel nano flocculant was prepared through the modification of sodium alginate. In the preparation partially oxidised sodium alginate reacted with triethylenetetramine (TETA) and then reacted with carbon disulfide. The structure of the flocculants was confirmed by elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared and UV spectrophotometry. The flocculant showed nanoparticle sizes with diameters of 300–350 nm in aqueous solution, and became precipitates after flocculation with Pb²⁺ ions. The flocculant was employed to adsorb Pb²⁺ in wastewater, and the influence of flocculant concentration, flocculation temperature, pH, and time on the adsorption properties were investigated. The results showed that adsorption capacity of the flocculant for Pb²⁺ could reach up to 3.43 mmol g^–1, and the removal rate for Pb²⁺ was over 97%. The adsorption processes corresponded to pseudo second order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm model. The adsorption mechanism involved electrostatic attraction, chemical chelation, netting and sweeping actions.