Installation of synergetic binding sites in β-Cyclodextrin-Bipyridine ionic liquid based magnetic sorbent for simultaneous removal of anionic PFAS and Cr (Ⅵ) in water matrix

Herein, we develop a versatile strategy for developing a Fe3O4-NH-β-CD-BP ILs based sorbent by installing synergistic bonding sites for simultaneous removal of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and heavy metals from contaminated water. This sorbent with its quaternary ammonium cation achieved remarkable removal efficiency (∼99 %)for both short and long chain anionic PFASs in pure water as compared to previous β-CD based materials. Moreover, when subjected to a challenging metal salt matrix, the adsorbents revealed that long-chain PFASs primarily relied on electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, while short-chain PFASs depended solely on electrostatic attractions. The results indicate that the sorbent exhibits outstanding adsorption capacities for PFCAs, PFSAs and Cr (VI) coupled with fast adsorption kinetics featuring equilibrium times 5, 4 and 2 h, respectively. The simultaneous removal of PFOA, PFOS and Cr (VI) in multi-component systems (electroplating plant wastewater) was also determined due to their dual sites rendered by cationic and β-CD groups. The adsorption of PFCAs and Cr (VI) was significantly influenced by the initial pH compared to the sorption of PFSAs. Additionally, the viologen based sorbent also showed better photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity. In summary, these results revealed the outstanding adsorption capacity and convenient regeneration process make the adsorbent as a promising candidate for efficient and rapid removal of PFASs from other pollutants.