Porous polyvinyl formaldehyde / MWCNTs foam for Pb+2 removal from water

Preparation of macro-porous polyvinyl formaldehyde / multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PVF/MWCNTs) foam was done via one step reaction during acetalization of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).The as-prepared PVF/MWCNTs composite was used as an eco-friendly, easy recovery sorbets for Pb (II) from aqueous medium.Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) were used to investigate the chemical composition and morphological structure of the prepared foam.The results showed that equilibrium occurred within 60 min at pH≈ 5 with a maximum adsorption capacity 3.4 mg/g with 43 % removal (considering the total weight of composite).In addition, the kinetic results are most fitted with pseudo-second-order model indicating that the reaction mechanism is chemisorption in nature.Therefore, it is suggested that the prepared PVF/MWCNTs foam can be used in water treatment systems as an eco-friendly and efficiency sorbent.