Fast adsorption of heavy metal ions by waste cotton fabrics based double network hydrogel and influencing factors insight

Abstract Massive consumption of cotton fabrics has brought up a serious problem concerning the waste cotton fabrics (WCFs) disposal. It is widely accepted that if WCFs can be reutilized, there will be great business potentials. Herein, we prepared a double network hydrogel based on WCFs and polyacrylamide (Cellulose/PAM DNHs) for heavy metal removal. The DNHs exhibit fast kinetics that sorption equilibrium is achieved in 5 min because of the porous and sheet-like laminar structures they possess. The DNHs also illustrate excellent adsorption property and good reusability. The tandem two columns packed with Cellulose/PAM-3 can effectively process simulated and practical wastewater, and the adsorption discrepancy is negligible after three adsorption-desorption cycles. The treatment volumes of simulated wastewater are 172.5 BV (7935 mL), 195 BV (8970 mL), and 292.5 BV (13455 mL) for Cd(II), Cu(II), and Pb(II), respectively. Furthermore, the treatment volumes of practical industrial wastewater reach 42 BV (1932 mL) for Cd(II), 63 BV (2898 mL) for Cu(II), and 87 BV (4002 mL) for Zn(II), Pb(II) and Fe, respectively. This work provides a new avenue for the combination of WCFs reuse and heavy metal removal, which is of great importance to the construction of resource sustainability and environment-friendly society.