Facile hydrothermal preparation of recyclable S-doped graphene sponge for Cu2+ adsorption

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials Vol. 286; pp. 449 - 456
• Main Authors: Zhao, Lianqin, Yu, Baowei, Xue, Fumin, Xie, Jingru, Zhang, Xiaoliang, Wu, Ruihan, Wang, Ruijue, Hu, Zhiyan, Yang, Sheng-Tao, Luo, Jianbin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 09.04.2015
• Subjects: Adsorbent; Adsorption; Copper - chemistry; Graphite - chemistry; Heavy metal; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Hydrothermal synthesis; Osmolar Concentration; Recycling; S-doped graphene sponge; Sulfur - chemistry; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Purification - methods; Water treatment; S-doped graphene sponge; Water treatment; Hydrothermal synthesis; Adsorbent; Heavy metal
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2015.01.021

S-doped graphene sponge was prepared via hydrothermal treatment, where S-doped graphene sponge had an adsorption capacity of 228mg/g for Cu2+. [Display omitted] •S-doped graphene sponge was prepared by hydrothermal treatment for heavy metal adsorption.•S-doped graphene sponge had a huge adsorption capacity for Cu2+, which was 40 times higher than that of active carbon.•S-doped graphene sponge could be easily regenerated by washing with acidic thiourea. Graphene sponge (GS) has been widely employed for water purification, but adsorption capacity loss frequently occurs during the formation of spongy structure. In this study, we reported the hydrothermal preparation of S-doped GS for the removal of Cu2+ with a huge adsorption capacity of 228mg/g, 40 times higher than that of active carbon. The adsorption isotherm could be well fitted into the Freundlich model with a KF value of 36.309(L/mg)1/n. The equilibrium adsorption could be fully achieved in the first 5min. In the thermodynamics study, the negative ΔG indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and physisorption in nature. The positive ΔH implied that the adsorption was endothermic. The changes of both pH and ionic strength had no apparent influence on the adsorption. S-doped GS could be easily regenerated by washing with acidic thiourea. Moreover, S-doped GS could be used for the adsorption of other heavy metal ions, too. The implication to the applications of S-doped GS in water treatment is discussed.