Ability of Deep Eutectic Solvent Modified Oat Straw for Cu(II), Zn(II), and Se(IV) Ions Removal

Abstract

In the proposed study, agro-waste biomass oat straw (OS) was considered a potential adsorbent for Cu(II), Zn(II), and Se(IV) removal from aqueous solutions. In order to obtain material with better adsorption abilities, the OS was modified by a deep eutectic solvent (DES). Structural changes caused by the applied modification route were considered by pHpzc, SEM, FTIR, and DSC/TG analysis. These methods discovered that lignocellulosic biomass degradation and material functionalization were achieved by DES treatment. Preliminary adsorption tests showed an over fourfold increase in capacity upon modification. The kinetic parameters implied that adsorption on modified material followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Different isotherm models were applied to experimental data, while the Sips isotherm model best describes the equilibrium of the adsorption process on the tested modified material. According to this isotherm model, the maximum achieved adsorption capacities of Cu(II), Zn(II), and Se(IV) were 48.21, 55.06, and 87.85 mg/g, respectively. The summarized experimental results revealed that the adsorption process of selected cations on modified OS was predominantly caused by chemisorption, while, in addition to chemisorption, electrostatic forces were also responsible for Se(IV) removal. Desorption test showed that the prepared material could be reused for at least 3 cycles, with minimal efficiency loss. Briefly, this study reinforces that DES-modified agro-waste biomass could be used as a promising adsorbent for cations and oxyanions from wastewater.