an9b02052_si_001.pdf (2.05 MB)
Nanostructured Carbon Florets as Scavenger of As3+, Cr6+, Cd2+, and Hg2+ for Water Remediation
journal contribution
posted on 2020-01-14, 13:37 authored by Maku Moronshing, Ananya Sah, Vishwanath Kalyani, Chandramouli SubramaniamAnthropogenically
triggered escalating contamination of water by heavy-metal ions (As3+, Cr6+, Cd2+, and Hg2+)
demands newer and efficient types of adsorbents for their comprehensive
scavenging. The wide pH range (pH 2–13) at which such contamination
persists makes it challenging to realize a single-step remediation
approach. Addressing these escalating demands, a singular adsorbent
capable of capturing multiple heavy metal ions with high adsorption
capacity across a wide range of pH is herewith reported for sustainable
water remediation. Three-dimensional dendritic mesoporous nanostructured
carbon florets (NCFs) with high specific surface area (936 m2/g) and easily accessible open-ended pore structure (1.23 cm3/g) achieve highly efficient removal of multiple heavy metal
ions (As3+, Cr6+, Cd2+, and Hg2+). The hydrophilic surface of NCF ensures extensive and efficient
interfacing with the water feedstock, while its chemical stability
ensures its effectiveness as an adsorbent over a wide pH range (pH
2 to pH 13). The synergistic combination of these factors enables
excellent adsorption efficiency (AE; ranging from 80% to 90%) and
uniformly high adsorption capacity (qe) toward a variety of heavy-metal ions such as Hg2+ (395
± 4 mg/g), Cd2+ (402 ± 5 mg/g), Cr6+ (436 ± 3 mg/g), and As3+ (412 ± 4 mg/g). Moreover,
the gravity-driven purification of water does not demand any external
source of electrical power and is scalable for on-site implementation.
Facile regeneration of the NCF and its reusability over multiple cycles
is also demonstrated for practical and sustainable application in
water remediation.