Efficient Removal of Pb2+from Water by Bamboo-Derived Thin- Walled Hollow Ellipsoidal Carbon-Based Adsorbent

Lead ion (Pb2+) is one of the most common water pollutants. Herein, with bamboo as the raw material, we fabricate a thin-walled hollow ellipsoidal carbon-based adsorbent (CPCs900) containing abundant O-containing groups and carbon defects and having a specific surface area as large as 730.87 m2 g-1. CPCs900 shows a capacity of 37.26 mg g-1 for adsorbing Pb2+ in water and an efficiency of 98.13% for removing Pb2+ from water. This is much better than the activated carbon commonly used for removing Pb2+ from water (12.19 mg g-1, 30.48%). The bond interaction of Pb2+ with the O-containing groups on CPCs900 and the electrostatic interaction of Pb2+ with the electron-rich carbon defects on CPCs900 could be the main forces to drive Pb2+ adsorption on CPCs900. The outstanding adsorption performance of CPCs900 could be due to the abundant O containing groups and carbon defects as well as the large specific surface area of CPCs900. Bamboo has a large reserve and a low price. The present work successfully converts bamboo into adsorbents with outstanding performances in removing Pb2+ from water. This is of great significance for meeting the huge industrial demand on highly efficient adsorbents for removing toxic metal ions from water.

Automated summary

By using bamboo as the raw material, a thin-walled hollow ellipsoidal carbon-based adsorbent (CPCs900) has been fabricated, which exhibits excellent performance in removing lead ion (Pb2+) from water with high adsorption capacity and efficiency. The outstanding adsorption performance of CPCs900 is attributed to the abundant O-containing groups and carbon defects as well as the large specific surface area. Converting bamboo into highly efficient adsorbents for removing toxic metal ions from water is of great significance for meeting industrial demands.