Improvement of the binding capacity of metal cations by sugar-beet pulp. 2. Binding of divalent metal cations by modified sugar-beet pulp

Binding of some divalent cations (Ca2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Pb2+ and Zn2+) in aqueous solution by saponified and cross-linked sugar-beet pulp was investigated. Saponification doubled the cation-exchange capacity, while cross-linking decreased specific surface area and hydration properties to low and stable values independent of pH and ionic strength conditions. The sorption isotherms indicated a high metal-binding capacity which increased with sorbent concentration, and followed a clear order of selectivity: Cu2+ similar to Pb2+ much greater than Zn2+ similar to Cd2+ > Ni2+ > Ca2+. The sorption data were better represented by the Langmuir isotherm than by the Freundlich one, suggesting that the monolayer sorption, mainly due to ion-exchange, would not be disturbed by lateral interactions between cations sorbed with similar sorption energies. The same order of selectivity could be drawn from the Langmuir parameters, sorption equilibrium constants (K-L) and maximum binding capacities (Me(A)max). Whatever the cation, K-L decreased with increasing sorbent concentration, while Me(b)max increased. Higher quantities of Cu2+ and Pb2+ than predicted by the one divalent cation to two carboxyl functions ratio were bound. This was attributed to the partial contribution to the sorption phenomenon of hydroxyl functions close to ionic sites, explaining the higher affinity of such cations for substrates. Cross-linked pulp exhibited higher metal-binding capacity per volume unit than the raw pulp. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.