Adsorptive removal of Lead from water by the effective and reusable magnetic cellulose nanocomposite beads entrapping activated bentonite

• Combined cellulose and filler to create the renewable and biocompatible adsorbents.
• Cellulose used as matrix made the beads had macro- and nano-porous structure.
• Functional inorganic filler improve adsorption capacity and operational convenience.
• Beads had superior adsorption and desorption capabilities on lead.
• Development of cellulose-based sorbents for lead removal from water.

Many efforts have been driven to decontaminate the drinking water, and the development of efficient adsorbents with the advantages of cost-effectiveness and operating convenience for the removal of Pb2+ from water is a major challenge. This work was aimed to explore the possibility of using cellulose-based adsorbents for efficient adsorption of Pb2+. The millimeter-scale magnetic cellulose-based nanocomposite beads were fabricated via an optimal extrusion dropping technology by blending cellulose with the carboxyl-functionalized magnetite nanoparticles and acid-activated bentonite in NaOH/urea aqueous solution, and then they had been tested to evaluate the effectiveness in the removal of Pb2+ from water. The effects of contact time, initial heavy metal ion concentrations, adsorption isotherms and solution pH on the sorption behavior were studied. The thermodynamic parameters (ΔG, ΔH and ΔS) indicated that the adsorption processes were feasible, spontaneous, endothermic and mainly controlled by chemical mechanisms. The reusability of the adsorbent was also studied.