Polydopamine/montmorillonite-embedded pullulan hydrogels as efficient adsorbents for removing crystal violet

Xiaoliang Qi; Qiankun Zeng; Xianqin Tong; Ting Su; Lei Xie; Kai Yuan; Jianxiong Xu; Jianliang Shen

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123359

Polydopamine/montmorillonite-embedded pullulan hydrogels as efficient adsorbents for removing crystal violet

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Jan 15:402:123359. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123359. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

Authors

Xiaoliang Qi¹, Qiankun Zeng², Xianqin Tong³, Ting Su⁴, Lei Xie⁵, Kai Yuan⁵, Jianxiong Xu⁶, Jianliang Shen⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001, China. Electronic address: xiaoliangqi90@gmail.com.
² Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, College of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, 412007, China; Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001, China.
⁴ Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001, China.
⁵ Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, College of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, 412007, China.
⁶ Hunan Key Laboratory of Biomedical Nanomaterials and Devices, College of Life Sciences and Chemistry, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, 412007, China. Electronic address: xujianxiong8411@163.com.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Optometry and Vision Science, School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, School of Biomedical Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China; Engineering Research Center of Clinical Functional Materials and Diagnosis & Treatment Devices of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, 325001, China. Electronic address: shenjl@wibe.ac.cn.

PMID: 32738779
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2020.123359

Abstract

Both secondary pollution and the low mechanical strength of adsorbents have severely impeded the practical application of adsorption methods in the dye wastewater treatment. In this work, we innovatively synthesized a composite hydrogel adsorbent by incorporating polydopamine (PDA) and montmorillonite (MMT) into the pullulan hydrogel matrix for dye adsorption. First, the successful formation of the resultant adsorbents was verified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope elemental mapping analysis. Then, several physicochemical properties (such as thermal and swelling properties, microarchitecture, and mechanical strength) of the five prepared adsorbents (PM1-PM5) were investigated. These results demonstrated the adsorbents had tunable properties, which can be achieved by adjusting the PDA/MMT mass ratio. Next, the dye adsorption performance was systematically explored. The resultant adsorbent (PM3) had a maximum adsorption capacity of 112.45 mg/g and its adsorption data was best described by a Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic. Finally, the adsorption mechanisms and potential commercial practicability of the adsorbent were studied. Altogether, the designed adsorbent could effectively avoid generating the secondary pollution typical of adsorbents and it displayed excellent mechanical strength, thus opening up a new horizon in mitigating environmental pollution from textile industries.

Keywords: Adsorption; Dye pollutants; Hydrogel; Mechanical strength; Secondary pollution.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't