Synthesis of cationic biomass lignosulfonate hydrogel for the efficient adsorption of Cr(VI) in wastewater with low pH

In the present study, we synthesized a cationic lignosulfonate hydrogel (LS-g-P (AM-co-DAC)) by grafting acrylamide (AM) and acryloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC) onto sodium lignosulfonate (LS) via free radical copolymerization. The solution pH, contact time, initial concentration, and temperature were comprehensively investigated through the static adsorption method for the adsorption behaviours of Cr(VI) by the hydrogel. The experimental results show that the best conditions were a temperature of 30°C, a dosage of 0.1 g, pH = 3, a concentration of 50 mg / L, and contact time = 2 h with removal efficiencies of above 70% and adsorption capacity of 18.14 mg·g^-1. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir isothermal model, indicating monolayer adsorption, and the maximum adsorption capacity was 58.86 mg·g^-1. Adsorption kinetics results show that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model dominated the adsorption process, and the adsorption activation energy was 5.489 kJ·mol^-1. In addition, the adsorption involved spontaneous exothermic and entropy reduction. The combination of FT-IR, SEM, and XRD was used to characterize the structure and properties of the prepared hydrogel, and the adsorption mechanism was the result of electrostatic attraction, physical and chemical adsorption, and hydrogen bond. The hydrogel has good regenerative properties after desorption. Overall, this work synthesized an environmentally friendly biomass lignin-based hydrogel, which can be used as an adsorbent for the treatment of anionic pollutants, and explored a new method for the high-value utilization of industrial lignin.HighlightsNovel cationic lignosulfonate hydrogel (LS-g-P (AM-co-DAC)) was synthesized by a free radical method.SEM and XRD results confirmed the surface of the obtained hydrogel shows a 3D network structure and does not have a crystal structure.LS-g-P (AM-co-DAC) hydrogel adsorbent can selectively adsorb Cr⁶⁺ at pH 3.0.The adsorption conditions and the adsorption mechanism were studied in detail.Electrostatic interaction plays a key role in the adsorption of Cr⁶⁺.