Sorptive Removal of Cadmium Ions from Solution Phases Using Textile Fiber Waste Coated with Carboxymethyl Cellulose

Abstract

This study investigates the possibility of applying textile fiber waste coated with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as a feasible adsorbent for treating toxic heavy metals contained in wastewaters. The soluble CMC was successfully coated on Lyocell fiber and cross-linked with epichlorohydrin to give mechanical and water stability as well as to enhance its metal binding property. In a model wastewater solution, isotherm of cadmium sorption was modeled by the Langmuir isotherm model and predicted uptake exceeded 100 mg/g maximum. The developed sorbent could work effectively at very low concentrations and could be recycled many times. Equilibrium sorption was reached within 10~20 min of contact. The study may open a way to develop heavy metal adsorbents from waste textile, which by itself is inapplicable to sorption processes.