Polyethyleneimine-impregnated alkali treated waste bamboo powder for effective dye removal

In this study, the polyethyleneimine (PEI) modified waste bamboo powder (WBP-Na-PEI) was successfully prepared and applied to adsorbing Congo red (CR) dye from aqueous solution. The obtained materials were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform-infrared, and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that WBP-Na-PEI(1.8 K-5) was synthesized successfully and PEI uniformly covered the WBP-Na-PEI(1.8 K-5) surface. In the process of adsorption, four kinds of influencing factors were discussed, and the adsorption mechanisms such as kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics were explored. The maximum adsorption capacity of WBP-Na-PEI(1.8 K-5) was 992.94 mg center dot g(-1) at 298 +/- 1 K, and the removal efficiency was over 98%. Pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models were studied, the results showed that the adsorption process conformed to the pseudo-second-order model, and the rate of this process was controlled by many steps. Furthermore, the removal efficiency of the adsorption kinetics reached 85% within 10 minutes. The results of the isotherm model and thermodynamics showed that the adsorption process was consistent with the Langmuir model and was mainly a spontaneous chemical endothermic process of monolayer. And the removal efficiency of the adsorbent reached 93% at the concentration of 400 mg/L, which can be expected to have a broad prospect in the treatment of CR industrial wastewater.

Automated summary

In this study, PEI-modified waste bamboo powder was successfully synthesized and applied for adsorbing CR dye from aqueous solution. Characterization showed that PEI uniformly covered the surface of the synthesized material, and the adsorption process involved discussions on influencing factors and mechanisms.