Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification
In this work, we convert a plastic waste, i.e., polystyrene (PS), into a sorbent by a simple sulfonation process. The sulfonation time was optimized and the structures of the resulting sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/21/4477 |
| _version_ | 1797466749712465920 |
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| author | Cuizhu Ye Ziyan Pan Yi Shen |
| author_facet | Cuizhu Ye Ziyan Pan Yi Shen |
| author_sort | Cuizhu Ye |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this work, we convert a plastic waste, i.e., polystyrene (PS), into a sorbent by a simple sulfonation process. The sulfonation time was optimized and the structures of the resulting sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray and contact angle tests. The results showed that the sulfonation time of 7 h can introduce abundant sulfonic groups and preserve the self-standing structure. Additionally, the SPS has a three-dimensional porous structure and hydrophilic surface because of the presence of numerous sulfonic groups, which could serve as effective binding sites for immobilizing varying pollutants. Furthermore, as a proof-of-concept, the adsorption performance of the SPS foams was evaluated using three pollutants, namely Pb<sup>2+</sup>, lysozyme and methylene blue. The adsorption isotherms were fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models, while the kinetics of the adsorption processes were analyzed using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion equations. It was found that the adsorption isotherms of Pb<sup>2+</sup> and lysozyme can be better described by the Langmuir model, leading to maximum equilibrium adsorption uptakes of 10.5 and 15.7 mg g<sup>−1</sup> for the adsorption of Pb<sup>2+</sup> and lysozyme, respectively. Importantly, the pollutant-saturated SPS is readily regenerated by acid washing, and the recovered sorbents exhibit outstanding cyclic performance. The abundant availability of feedstock, facile preparation and regeneration processes render the SPS foams a promising sorbent for practical applications. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:44:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7fce9d32d0cd4ce8bd64b8890b6e7f86 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T18:44:11Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-7fce9d32d0cd4ce8bd64b8890b6e7f862023-11-24T06:26:53ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602022-10-011421447710.3390/polym14214477Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water PurificationCuizhu Ye0Ziyan Pan1Yi Shen2School of Food Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSchool of Food Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaSchool of Food Science and Technology, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, ChinaIn this work, we convert a plastic waste, i.e., polystyrene (PS), into a sorbent by a simple sulfonation process. The sulfonation time was optimized and the structures of the resulting sulfonated polystyrene (SPS) was characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray and contact angle tests. The results showed that the sulfonation time of 7 h can introduce abundant sulfonic groups and preserve the self-standing structure. Additionally, the SPS has a three-dimensional porous structure and hydrophilic surface because of the presence of numerous sulfonic groups, which could serve as effective binding sites for immobilizing varying pollutants. Furthermore, as a proof-of-concept, the adsorption performance of the SPS foams was evaluated using three pollutants, namely Pb<sup>2+</sup>, lysozyme and methylene blue. The adsorption isotherms were fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models, while the kinetics of the adsorption processes were analyzed using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion equations. It was found that the adsorption isotherms of Pb<sup>2+</sup> and lysozyme can be better described by the Langmuir model, leading to maximum equilibrium adsorption uptakes of 10.5 and 15.7 mg g<sup>−1</sup> for the adsorption of Pb<sup>2+</sup> and lysozyme, respectively. Importantly, the pollutant-saturated SPS is readily regenerated by acid washing, and the recovered sorbents exhibit outstanding cyclic performance. The abundant availability of feedstock, facile preparation and regeneration processes render the SPS foams a promising sorbent for practical applications.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/21/4477sulfonated polystyrenewater treatmentPb<sup>2+</sup>lysozyme and methylene blue |
| spellingShingle | Cuizhu Ye Ziyan Pan Yi Shen Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification Polymers sulfonated polystyrene water treatment Pb<sup>2+</sup> lysozyme and methylene blue |
| title | Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification |
| title_full | Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification |
| title_fullStr | Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification |
| title_full_unstemmed | Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification |
| title_short | Facile Conversion of Polystyrene Waste into an Efficient Sorbent for Water Purification |
| title_sort | facile conversion of polystyrene waste into an efficient sorbent for water purification |
| topic | sulfonated polystyrene water treatment Pb<sup>2+</sup> lysozyme and methylene blue |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/21/4477 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT cuizhuye facileconversionofpolystyrenewasteintoanefficientsorbentforwaterpurification AT ziyanpan facileconversionofpolystyrenewasteintoanefficientsorbentforwaterpurification AT yishen facileconversionofpolystyrenewasteintoanefficientsorbentforwaterpurification |