Synthesis and environmental applications of cellulose/ZrO_2 nanohybrid as a selective adsorbent for nickel ion

摘要

Cellulose/ZrO_2 nanohybrid has been synthesized by simple growth of ZrO_2 on cellulose matrix and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Interestingly, FESEM showed nanoparticles with an average size of 50 nm. The analytical potential of the newly prepared nanohybrid was studied for a selective extraction of nickel prior to its determination by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The selectivity of nanohybrid was investigated toward eight metal ions, including Cd~(2+), CO~(2+), Cr~(3+), Cu~(2+), Fe~(3+), Ni~(2+), Zn~(2+) and Zr~(4+). Data obtained from the selectivity study showed that nanohybrid was the most selective toward Ni~(2+). The uptake capacity for Ni~(2+) was experimentally calculated and found to be 79 mg g~(-1). Moreover, adsorption isotherm data of Ni~(2+) on nanohybrid was well fit with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, strongly supporting that the adsorption process was mainly monolayer on homogeneous adsorbent surfaces. Finally, data of Ni~(2+) adsorption on nanohybrid as a function of contact time displayed that equilibrium kinetics are very fast.