Microwave-assisted functionalized lignin with dithiocarbamate for enhancing adsorption of Pb(II)

• A microwave-assisted process was adopted to prepare lignin/dithiocarbamate (LD).
• LD particles were ∼1 µm in diameter and contained many functional groups.
• LD showed a fast adsorption rate (45 min, equilibrium) for Pb(II) in water.
• The adsorption capacity of LD for Pb(II) was 106 mg/g and it was 7.5-time of lignin.

This study firstly reported a microwave-assisted functionalized lignin with dithiocarbamate (LD) for enhancing adsorption of Pb(II) in water. It was found that LD particles were about 1 µm in diameter with plenty of dithiocarbamate functional groups. LD showed a fast adsorption to Pb(II) with an equilibration time of 45 min. The saturated adsorption capacity to Pb(II) was 106 mg/g, which was 7.5 times of the original lignin and also higher than other lignin-based adsorbents. The prepared material can not only effectively adsorb Pb(II) in water, but also be easily prepared. These findings demonstrate that LD has great potential applications in adsorption and separation.