Enhanced removal of pentachlorophenol and 2,4-D from aqueous solution by an aminated biosorbent

The fungal biomasses of Penicillium chrysogenum were used as raw materials to prepare the aminated adsorbent through chemical grafting of polyethylenimine (PEI) on the biomass surface. Due to the protonation of amine groups, the PEI-modified biomass was found to possess the zero point of ζ potential at pH 10.2, higher than the pristine biomass at pH 3.8. The aminated biosorbent was effective in removing anionic pentachlorophenol (PCP) and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) from aqueous solution. The sorption was pH-dependent and the sorption kinetic data were well described by the pseudo-second-order model. The sorption isotherms on the aminated biosorbent conformed to the Langmuir equation, with the maximum sorption capacity of 1.23 mmol/g for PCP and 1.22 mmol/g for 2,4-D. In the presence of Cu2+ or Pb2+, the sorption capacities for both PCP and 2,4-D were further enhanced, attributed to the formation of surface complex. FTIR and ζ potential analysis before and after the sorption revealed that the amine groups on the biomass surface played an important role in the sorption of PCP and 2,4-D, due to the electrostatic interaction between the positive protonated amine groups and the negative PCP/2,4-D.