Extremely fast and high Pb2+ removal capacity using a nanostructured hybrid material

Abstract

Ultra-fast toxic metal removal using a hybrid and nanostructured vaterite–poly(ethyleneimine) (NV–PEI) is reported. Especially for Pb²⁺, an extremely high and fast adsorption capacity without precedents is observed. Within a 3 min contact time (CT), 97–100% of Pb²⁺ contaminant in water samples at pH 6, with a large concentration range (from 2 to 1000 ppm) and using a dosage of 0.5 g NV–PEI per L, has been removed. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_max) calculated for a 1500 ppm Pb²⁺ initial concentration was 2762 mg of Pb²⁺ per g NV–PEI. In addition to the excellent Pb²⁺ removal, this material is cheap, easy to synthesize, biocompatible, and biodegradable, which makes it superior to others reported to date and an attractive alternative for the treatment of industrial wastewaters.