Arsenic(III) Removal by Nanostructured Dialdehyde Cellulose–Cysteine Microscale and Nanoscale Fibers

[Image: see text] Arsenite (As(III)) contamination in drinking water has become a worldwide problem in recent years, which leads to development of various As(III) remediation approaches. In this study, two biomass-based nanostructured materials, microscale dialdehyde cellulose–cysteine (MDAC–cys) and nanoscale dialdehyde cellulose–cysteine (NDAC–cys) fibers, have been prepared from wood pulp. Their As(III) removal efficiencies and mechanism were determined by combined adsorption, atomic fluorescence spectrometry, microscopy (scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and atomic force microscopy), and spectroscopy (Fourier transform infrared, (13)C CPMAS NMR) methods. The adsorption results of these materials could be well described by the Freundlich isotherm model, where the maximum adsorption capacities estimated by the Langmuir isotherm model were 344.82 mg/g for MDAC–cys and 357.14 mg/g for NDAC–cys, respectively. Both MDAC–cys and NDAC–cys materials were further characterized by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis, where the results indicated that the thiol groups (the S content in MDAC–cys was 12.70 and NDAC–cys was 17.15%) on cysteine were primarily responsible for the adsorption process. The nanostructured MDAC–cys system appeared to be more suitable for practical applications because of its high cost-effectiveness.