Hexavalent chromium adsorption onto environmentally friendly mesquite gum-based polyurethane foam

• Published in: Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery
• Main Author: Sasidharan V.; Georgin J.; Franco D.S.P.; Meili L.; Singh P.; Jawad A.H.; Selvasembian R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH 2024
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85143130087&doi=10.1007%2fs13399-022-03528-4&partnerID=40&md5=e94938b59837099d2a029a487260e1dc

This study aimed to produce an eco-friendly bio-based polyurethane foam with mesquite gum (MG) and Sargassum sp. biomass (SA) to remove hexavalent chromium from an aqueous solution by adsorption. The synthesized PU foam presented a smooth and regular surface compared to the commercial polyurethane foam (CPF), the mesquite gum and sargassum presented new irregularities and voids distributed randomly. The synthesis provided a chemical change, confirmed by FT-IR, where new bands were evidenced. Last, it was found that the modification conducted generated new crystalline peaks, characterized by organized structures and uniform arrangements. For all materials, equilibrium was reached before 120 min, confirming a fast kinetic time. The general order model was the most suitable model to fit the kinetic data. The maximum experimental adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) was 222 mg g−1, at 303 K and pH 2.0, for the composite, which has great potential to be used as a low-cost adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal from water. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022. corrected publication 2022.