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Mutual effects behind the simultaneous removal of toxic metals and cationic dyes by interlayer-expanded MoS2 nanosheets

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Abstract

Simultaneous removal of coexisting metals and dyes from industrial wastewaters is challenging, and the mutual effects behind the co-adsorption of these pollutants remain unclear. Herein, interlayer-expanded MoS2 (IE-MoS2) nanosheets prepared by a one-pot simple and scalable method were tested to simultaneously remove toxic metals and cationic dyes. The adsorption capacities of IE-MoS2 nanosheets were 499, 423, 500, 355, and 276 mg/g for Pb(II), Cu(II), methylene blue, malachite green, and rhodamine B, respectively, in a mono-contaminant system. Interestingly, the sequestration amount of Pb(II) was dependent on the concentrations of dyes in the binary Pb(II)−dye systems, while uptake of cationic dyes was almost not influenced by coexisting Pb(II). The simultaneous adsorption mechanism was further confirmed by spectroscopic methods. The IE-MoS2 nanosheets were easily regenerated and reused for six adsorption−desorption cycles without structure destruction, thus avoiding the potential hazards of nanomaterial to the ecosphere. More interestingly, high-efficiency uptake of Pb(II) from intentionally contaminated natural water and model textile effluent was obtained by using a column filled with IE-MoS2 nanosheets. In summary, IE-MoS2 nanosheets with facile and scalable synthesis method, efficient adsorption performance, and excellent reusability showed potential promise for the integrative treatment of complex wastewater bearing both metals and organic pollutants.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21806001 and 31800713). And the CAS Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, Chinese Academy of Sciences is acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environment, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, People’s Republic of China

    Zheng Wu, Qingyun Duan, Xuede Li & Jie Li

  2. Hefei Scientific Observing and Experimental Station of Agro-Environment, Ministry of Agriculture, Hefei, People’s Republic of China

    Zheng Wu, Qingyun Duan, Xuede Li & Jie Li

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  1. Zheng Wu
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  2. Qingyun Duan
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  3. Xuede Li
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  4. Jie Li
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Correspondence to Xuede Li or Jie Li.

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Wu, Z., Duan, Q., Li, X. et al. Mutual effects behind the simultaneous removal of toxic metals and cationic dyes by interlayer-expanded MoS2 nanosheets. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 31344–31353 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06277-6

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