Abstract
Two hydrogels were synthesized, characterized, and applied as alternative materials to remove melamine (MEL) from aqueous media by adsorption. For the first time, a complete study of MEL adsorption is presented, including optimization, kinetics, isotherm, reuse, and column studies with these new materials. One hydrogel is based on xylan and poly (acrylic acid) and was named HXy, and the other is based on the same components functionalized with activated carbon and was named HXy-AC. The materials were synthesized by free radical polymerization and characterized by FTIR, XRD, TGA, DSC, SEM, zeta potential, point of zero charge, N2 adsorption isotherms (BET), helium gas pycnometry, Archimedes method, swelling analysis, and stability tests. The characterization results confirmed the intended synthesis and showed the thermal, morphological, textural, structural, and compositional profile, as well as the adsorption characteristics of the materials. The adsorption studies in batch process included experimental design, kinetics, isotherms, and recyclability, and in continuous mode, the studies included fixed-bed column experiments. The full factorial design showed that adsorbent dosage, pH, and ionic strength are significant for adsorption capacity and removal percentage responses. Doehlert design enabled the definition of the values of adsorbent dosage and pH that were most suitable for MEL adsorption into the materials, indicating the optimal adsorption conditions. The kinetics were well described by the pseudo-first-order model, with R2 above 0.9920 for both materials at all concentrations tested. The isotherm obeyed the Langmuir model, with R2 above 0.9939 for both materials at all temperatures tested. Equilibrium was attained at 180 min, and the maximum experimental adsorption capacity was up to 132.46 and 118.96 mg g−1 at pH 7, with adsorbent dosage of 0.5 g L−1, and 298 K for HXy and HXy-AC, respectively. Furthermore, HXy and HXy-AC materials maintained about 58 and 70% of their initial adsorption capacity at the end of five adsorption/desorption cycles, respectively. Breakthrough curves were described by the Yan model and presented a maximum adsorption capacity of 30.2 and 30.4 mg g−1, treating 3.4 and 6.1 L of influent until the breakthrough point of 0.5 mg L−1 with HXy-AC using 2.0 and 4.0 g of material, respectively. These findings show that the hydrogels produced present the potential to be applied in the adsorption of basic molecules, such as MEL.
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Acknowledgements
The authors acknowledge CA-QMC-UFSC (Analysis Center of the Chemistry Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina), POLIMAT-UFSC (Study Group on Polymeric Materials), LABMASSA-UFSC (Laboratory of Mass Transfer), CA-EQA-UFSC (Analysis Center of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Food Engineering), LINDEN-UFSC (Interdisciplinary laboratory for the development of nanostructures), LATESC-UFSC (Laboratory of Thermodynamics and Supercritical Technology), and LCME-UFSC (Central Laboratory of Electron Microscopy).
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This work was supported by CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development—for PQ fellowship for A.L.P. (Process 305112/2022–8)) and Capes (Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, Financial Code 001).
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Conceptualization: Andressa Cristiana Fröhlich, Luciana Prazeres Mazur, Adriano da Silva, Tatiane de Andrade Maranhão, and Alexandre Luis Parize; methodology: Andressa Cristiana Fröhlich, Luciana Prazeres Mazur, Adriano da Silva, Tatiane de Andrade Maranhão, and Alexandre Luis Parize; formal analysis and investigation: Andressa Cristiana Fröhlich; writing–original draft preparation: Andressa Cristiana Fröhlich; writing, review, and editing: Andressa Cristiana Fröhlich, Luciana Prazeres Mazur, Adriano da Silva, Tatiane de Andrade Maranhão, Alexandre Luis Parize; Supervision: Luciana Prazeres Mazur, Adriano da Silva, Tatiane de Andrade Maranhão, and Alexandre Luis Parize. All the authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.
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Fröhlich, A.C., Mazur, L.P., da Silva, A. et al. Development of hydrogels based on xylan and poly (acrylic acid) for melamine adsorption in batch and continuous mode: experimental design, kinetics, isotherms, recyclability, and fixed-bed column. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 107970–107992 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29891-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29891-x