Alginate-graphene oxide hybrid gel beads: an efficient copper adsorbent material

Wafa M Algothmi; Narasimha Murthy Bandaru; Yang Yu; Joseph G Shapter; Amanda V Ellis

doi:10.1016/j.jcis.2013.01.051

Alginate-graphene oxide hybrid gel beads: an efficient copper adsorbent material

J Colloid Interface Sci. 2013 May 1:397:32-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2013.01.051. Epub 2013 Feb 12.

Authors

Wafa M Algothmi¹, Narasimha Murthy Bandaru, Yang Yu, Joseph G Shapter, Amanda V Ellis

Affiliation

¹ Flinders Centre for NanoScale Science and Technology, School of Chemical and Physical Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia.

PMID: 23466264
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2013.01.051

Abstract

Here we report on the adsorption performance of calcium alginate (Ca-Alg2) and Ca-Alg2 with encapsulated graphene oxide (Ca-Alg2/GO) gel bead adsorbents for the successful removal of Cu(2+) ions from aqueous solution. Different adsorbent doses, Cu(2+) concentrations and contact times were investigated using equilibrium and kinetic studies. The adsorbents were characterized using Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and focussed ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB/SEM). The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to Langmuir isotherms and the maximum adsorption capacities of the Ca-Alg2 and Ca-Alg2/GO gel beads were found to be 42.7 mg g(-1) and 60.2 mg g(-1), respectively. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to a pseudo-second-order kinetic equation showing that the Ca-Alg2 gel beads had a higher kinetic adsorption rate at 0.0425 g mg(-1)min(-1) compared to Ca-Alg2/GO at 0.0179 g mg(-1)min(-1).