Highly compressible and macro-porous hydrogels via the synergy of cryogelation and double-network for efficient removal of Cr(VI)

Mechanically robust and macro-porous hydrogels are urgently required for the dynamic removal of heavy metals in wastewater purification field. Herein, a novel microfibrillated cellulose/polyethyleneimine hydrogel (MFC/PEI-CD) with high compressibility and macro-porous structures was fabricated via t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of biological macromolecules 2023-05, Vol.238, p.124160-124160, Article 124160
Main Authors: Li, Changjing, Shen, Jing, Wang, Jun, Bao, Chunxiu, Li, Boxi, Liu, Li, Wang, Haidi, Zhang, Xufeng
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adsorption
Biocompatible Materials
Chromium - chemistry
Cryogelation
Double network
Environmental remediation
Hydrogels - chemistry
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
Kinetics
Metals, Heavy
Porosity
Wastewater
Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry
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Summary:Mechanically robust and macro-porous hydrogels are urgently required for the dynamic removal of heavy metals in wastewater purification field. Herein, a novel microfibrillated cellulose/polyethyleneimine hydrogel (MFC/PEI-CD) with high compressibility and macro-porous structures was fabricated via the synergy of cryogelation and double-network for Cr(VI) adsorption from wastewater. MFCs were pre-cross-linked by bis(vinyl sulfonyl)methane (BVSM) and then formed double-network hydrogels with PEIs and glutaraldehyde below freezing. The SEM showed that the MFC/PEI-CD possessed interconnected macropores with an average pore diameter of 52 μm. Mechanical tests indicated a high compressive stress of 116.4 kPa at 80 % strain, which was 4 times higher than the corresponding MFC/PEI with a single-network. The Cr(VI) adsorption performance of MFC/PEI-CDs was systematically investigated under different parameters. Kinetic studies indicated that the adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second-order model. Isothermal adsorption behaviors accorded well with Langmuir model with the maximum adsorption capacity of 545.1 mg/g, which was superior to most adsorption materials. More importantly, the MFC/PEI-CD was applied to dynamically adsorb Cr(VI) with the treatment volume of 2070 mL/g. Therefore, this work demonstrates that the synergy of cryogelation and double-network is a novel method for preparing macro-porous and robust materials with promising heavy metal removal from wastewater. •Synergy of cryogelation and double-network is developed to fabricate robust and macro-porous MFC/PEI hydrogels.•Roles of preparatory steps in elastic hydrogels are investigated.•Double network improves the mechanical strength of MFC/PEI hydrogels.•The MFC/PEI hydrogel reveals a record-high Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of 545.1 mg/g.•The MFC/PEI hydrogel-packed column can remove Cr(VI) continuously with the treatment volume of 2070 mL/g.
ISSN:0141-8130
1879-0003
DOI:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124160