Fast microwave-assisted preparation of a low-cost and recyclable carboxyl modified lignocellulose-biomass jute fiber for enhanced heavy metal removal from water

• The low-cost and recyclable jute was modified for enhanced heavy metal removal.
• Microwave heating was innovatively explored in pretreatment and graft reaction.
• The tensile performance of biomass was firstly investigated.
• Adsorption equilibrium was achieved sharply in 20 min with high metal uptake.
• CMJFMH can be easily and effectively regenerated with EDTA-2Na solution.

A low-cost and recyclable biosorbent derived from jute fiber was developed for high efficient adsorption of Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) from water. The jute fiber was rapidly pretreated and grafted with metal binding groups (COOH) under microwave heating (MH). The adsorption behavior of carboxyl-modified jute fiber under MH treatment (CMJFMH) toward heavy metal ions followed Langmuir isotherm model (R2 > 0.99) with remarkably high adsorption capacity (157.21, 88.98 and 43.98 mg/g for Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II), respectively). Also, CMJFMH showed fast removal ability for heavy metals in a highly significant correlation with pseudo second-order kinetics model. Besides, CMJFMH can be easily regenerated with EDTA-2Na solution and reused up to at least four times with equivalent high adsorption capacity. Overall, cheap and abundant production, rapid and facile preparation, fast and efficient adsorption of heavy metals and high regeneration ability can make the CMJFMH a preferred biosorbent for heavy metal removal from water.

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