Novel nano cellulosic fibers for remediation of heavy metals from synthetic water

Abstract

The increased surface area-to-volume ratio of nanoparticles, quantum size effects and the ability to tune surface properties through molecular modification make nanostructures ideal for environmental remediation. The present piece of work reports the preparation and characterization of nano cellulosic fibers (NCFs) with further polymeric reinforcement using vinyl sulphonic acid for the remediation of cationic toxic metals from water bodies. The modified NCFs exhibited enhancement in sorption efficiency (more than 90 %) and stability in terms of increased (3 to 5) regeneration cycles for Cd (II), Pb (II), Ni (II) and Cr (III) ions in single and multi metal solutions. Novel NCFs were also characterized on the basis of FTIR and TGA techniques and found to have enough potential for environmental remediation.