Coadsorption behaviors and mechanisms of Pb(ii) and methylene blue onto a biodegradable multi-functional adsorbent with temperature-tunable selectivity

An entirely bio-degradable adsorbent based on lignin was synthesized by a crosslinking method and the adsorption of methyl blue (MB) and Pb(ii) onto the adsorbent were comparatively investigated, with adsorption behavior and mechanism of the two pollutants on the adsorbent (SLS) being assessed in single and binary systems. According to the results, SLS was capable of effective adsorption using MB and Pb(ii). The adsorption behavior of MB and Pb(ii) followed Langmuir and pseudo-first order models and showed temperature-dependent preferences. At 298 K MB was more preferred while at 318 K Pb(ii) adsorption was more favorable, which means that the selectivity of SLS can be tuned by changing the temperature. From a mechanism aspect, the adsorption of MB and Pb(ii) were both achieved through more than one route. Pb(ii) mainly interacts with sulfonate and hydroxyl groups on SLS, while MB can be bound on both anionic and aromatic groups due to its aromatic nature. Recycling and reuse experiments showed that used SLS can be readily reactivated and stably reused. The findings will guide adsorbent applications in wastewater containing heavy metals and aromatic compounds.