Enhanced removal of Cd (II) from aqueous solution by EDTA functionalized three-dimensional magnetic nitrogen-doped porous carbon

Abstract

In this paper, three-dimensional magnetic nitrogen-doped porous carbon modified by EDTA (N-MPC-EDTA) was successfully prepared by two-step method with lignin as the precursor, and was used for the removal of Cd (II). The 3D adsorbents were characterized by SEM, TEM, BET, XRD, XPS, Zeta potential, and element mapping analysis techniques, and the performance of the materials was tested by the batch adsorption method. The influence of experimental parameters such as contact time and pH value on the adsorption capacity of N-MPC-EDTA on Cd (II) was studied. Under the optimal conditions, the equilibrium adsorption capacity of Cd (II) was 43.68 mg∙ L⁻¹ and the adsorption equilibrium was quickly reached within 45 min. A possible adsorption mechanism was proposed, in which the chelation of EDTA as well as the electrostatic attraction of hydroxyl, carboxyl, and nitrogen-containing functional groups dominated the adsorption of Cd (II). The adsorption kinetics and isotherm data fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich model, respectively. In addition, the good regeneration performance suggested that N-MPC-EDTA will have a broad application prospect in water treatment. Graphical abstract