TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofiber based polymeric adsorbent for use in iron removal

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs), as one of the most abundant renewable nanomaterials, has garnered interest in numerous fields owing to its many any advantages such as good mechanical properties, high surface area and surface tunability. Recently, CNFs have been shown to be a valuable candidate in water and soil treatment. In this study, adsorption of Fe(II) cations onto poly(2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate-glycidyl methacrylate) cryogels was improved by addition of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNF). Characterization of CNF modified polymeric structures was performed using scanning electron microscopy. The effects of varying pH, initial Fe(II) concentration, and time were investigated during the study and a comparison was made to Fe(III) adsorption. Kinetic calculations were performed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson adsorption models.to understand the binding of Fe(II) cations onto the composite cryogel.