Adsorptive removal of Sr(II) from aqueous solution by polyvinyl alcohol/graphene oxide aerogel

• Published in: Chemosphere (Oxford) Vol. 278; p. 130492
• Main Authors: Huo, Jiang-bo, Yu, Guoce, Wang, Jianlong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2021
• Subjects: Adsorption; Complexation; Interaction; PVA/GO; Radionuclides; PVA/GO; Complexation; Radionuclides; Adsorption; Interaction
• ISSN: 0045-6535; 1879-1298
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130492

In this study, a new adsorbent, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and graphene oxide (GO), was prepared, characterized and used for the removal of Sr2+ from aqueous solution. In PVA/GO composite, the inter-lamellar spacing of adjacent GO layers was dramatically enlarged due to the intercalation of PVA molecules, such a unique architecture significantly mitigated the aggregation of GO layers, which facilitated the accessible exposure of active sites and the mass transfer of strontium ions (Sr2+), thus enhancing the adsorption capacity toward Sr2+. The adsorption of Sr2+ by PVA/GO composite conformed to the pseudo second-order kinetic model (R2 = 0.9994), the Langmuir model (R2 = 0.9042), and the Freundlich model (R2 = 0.9598). The complexation interaction between Sr2+ and oxygen atoms/π-electron domain of PVA/GO composite was primarily responsible for the adsorption mechanism, based on the characterization results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). •PVA/GO aerogel was prepared, characterized and used for Sr(II) sorption.•Hydrogen bond was primary driving force in the fabrication of PVA/GO aerogel.•PVA/GO aerogel exhibited good adsorption performance for Sr(II).•PVA/GO aerogel with a monolith morphology can be readily separated from solution.•The interaction between Sr(II) and –COOH/π-electron was responsible of Sr sorption.