Conversion of waste textile cellulose fibers into heavy metal adsorbents

Fibrous adsorbents were prepared by carboxymethylation of waste textile fibers and were used for Cd(II) sorption in comparison with Dowex Mac-3 (DM-3). The prepared sorbents were designated carboxymethyl cellulose-Lyocell strands (CMC-LS) and carboxymethyl cellulose-Lyocell fabrics (CMC-LF). Kinetic and isotherm studies indicated that CMC-LS had the fastest sorption rate with high affinity constants and good column application potential. For the same packed column volume, CMC-LS reached similar to 70% of its capacity whilst DM-3 reached similar to 57%. 100% desorption was achieved using 0.1 M EDTA or HCl. This study therefore suggests a way to recycle waste fibers into adsorbents for treating heavy metal-polluted waters. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.