Extremely fast and high Pb2+ removal capacity using a nanostructured hybrid material

Ultra-fast toxic metal removal using a hybrid and nanostructured vaterite-poly(ethyleneimine) (NV-PEI) is reported. Especially for Pb2+, an extremely high and fast adsorption capacity without precedents is observed. Within a 3 min contact time (CT), 97-100% of Pb2+ contaminant in water samples at pH 6, with a large concentration range (from 2 to 1000 ppm) and using a dosage of 0.5 g NV-PEI per L, has been removed. The maximum adsorption capacity (q(max)) calculated for a 1500 ppm Pb2+ initial concentration was 2762 mg of Pb2+ per g NV-PEI. In addition to the excellent Pb2+ removal, this material is cheap, easy to synthesize, biocompatible, and biodegradable, which makes it superior to others reported to date and an attractive alternative for the treatment of industrial wastewaters.