Adsorption behavior of chromium (VI) onto regenerated cellulose membrane

Abstract

Regenerated cellulose membrane (RCM) was successfully fabricated via the dissolution systems of 7 wt% NaOH/12 wt % urea. Extraction of cellulose sourced from recycled newspapers was done after undergoing alkali and NaClO 2 treatment. The membrane was characterized by using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). The capability of the membrane to act as the adsorbent was applied for the adsorption of chromium(VI) from aqueous solution. The Cr(VI) adsorption onto RCM was tested under different parameters, including the pH of the solution, the initial Cr(VI) concentration, and the contact time. The changes on the adsorbent after the adsorption of Cr(VI) was analyzed by using FTIR and SEM-EDAX. The optimum condition for the adsorption of Cr(VI) was noted at pH 2 for 100 ppm of Cr (VI) in duration of 12 h with the optimum percentage removal of 18.1278 mg/g. The behavior of the adsorption process and adsorption kinetics were best-fitted with the Langmuir model and the pseudo-first order model, respectively.