Cellulose-g-poly (acrylic acid) interpenetrated by fulvic acid for potential Cu (II) removal from wastewater

Abstract

Abstract The cellulose-g-poly (acrylic acid) copolymer preparation in the presence of fulvic acid as an interpenetrating agent (C-g-PAA/FA) has been successfully conducted using gamma radiation. The acrylic acid was utilized as a functional monomer and N, N’-methylene bisacrylamide was used as a crosslinking agent. The fulvic acid addition to C-g-PAA was intended to enhance the number of functional groups responsible for the chelating agent. The infrared spectra of the obtained copolymer verified the incorporation of fulvic acid and acrylic acid in the cellulose network structure by the appearance of phenyl vibration and changes in the carbonyl vibration at 1560 and 1725 cm−1, respectively. Moreover, the thermogravimetric analysis showed that the C-g-PAA/FA increased the thermal resistance of the cellulose structure, which could be explained by the formation of robust and more chemical bonds that contributed to the network structure. Scanning electron microscope images revealed that the C-g-PAA/FA possesses a more compact and stronger network structure compared to pristine cellulose. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis confirmed the presence of copper ions on the surface of C-g-PAA/FA after Cu (II) removal. In addition, the C-g-PAA/FA has effectively been used as Cu (II) removal in the aqueous solution, with a removal percentage of up to 56 %.