Removing heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater is one of the most important and difficult areas of the water treatment industry. In this study, Bacterial Cellulose/Polyvinyl Alcohol/Graphene Oxide/Attapulgite (BC/PVA/GO/APT) composites were successfully prepared via a repeated freeze-thaw method using bacterial cellulose, polyvinyl alcohol as the skeleton, and graphene oxide, attapulgite as fillers. The capacities of adsorbing Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions in solution were investigated. FTIR, XRD, SEM, BET, and TG-DSC analyses showed that the BC/PVA/GO/APT hydrogel has a better hydrophilicity, a larger specific surface area and a better thermal stability than traditional materials. We found that the adsorption of Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions can be accurately predicted by the Freundlich kinetic model, and the optimal adsorption capacities of these ions were found to be 150.79 mg/g and 217.8 mg/g respectively. Thermodynamic results showed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic. BC/PVA/GO/APT composites are suggested to be an ideal adsorption material for removing heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater.
Keywords: adsorption; attapulgite; bacterial cellulose; graphite oxide; heavy metal ions.