Ion Imprinted Sodium Alginate Hydrogel Beads Enhanced with Carboxymethyl Cellulose and β-Cyclodextrin to Improve Adsorption for Cu2+

To achieve efficient adsorption and recycling of Cu2+ in wastewater, using Cu2+ as template ion, glutaraldehyde as crosslinker, three sodium alginate hydrogel beads including SA, SAC, and SAB beads were prepared by imprinting sol–gel method using sodium alginate (SA) with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) as different precursors, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to characterize and analyze morphology and composition change of the hydrogel beads, respectively. When the mass ratio of SA to CMC or SA to β-CD reach 1:1, the SAC beads or SAB beads are nearly homogeneous sphere. Then the effects of pH, adsorption time, initial concentration of Cu2+, adsorbent dosage, and coexisting ions on the adsorption efficiency of three hydrogel beads were investigated. The results indicated that adding carboxymethyl cellulose and β-cyclodextrin into skeleton of beads increased the toughness of the beads and improved the adsorption capacity of Cu2+. Compared to the saturated adsorption capacity 510 mg/g of Cu2+ on SA, the saturated adsorption capacity of Cu2+ on SAB and SAC reached 817 mg/g and 822 mg/g, respectively. And their adsorption efficiency for Cu2+ are over 95% at 25 °C with pH of 7, contact time within 350 min, adsorbent dosage of 4 mg/50 mL, and initial concentration of 5 mg/L. Thus, SAC and SAB beads could be used as adsorption material for detecting and removing Cu2+ from wastewater.