Efficient and selective removal of Pb(II) from landfill leachate using L-serine-modified polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric synthesized via radiation grafting technique

In this study, to efficiently remove Pb(II) from aqueous environments, a novel L-serine-modified polyethylene/polypropylene nonwoven fabric sorbent (NWF-serine) was fabricated through the radiation grafting of glycidyl methacrylate and subsequent L-serine modification. The effect of the absorbed dose was investigated in the range of 5–50 kGy. NWF-serine was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Batch adsorption tests were conducted to investigate the influences of pH, adsorption time, temperature, initial concentration, and sorbent dosage on the Pb(II) adsorption performance of NWF-serine. The results indicated that Pb(II) adsorption onto NWF-serine was an endothermic process, following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. The saturated adsorption capacity was 198.1 mg/g. NWF-serine exhibited Pb(II) removal rates of 99.8% for aqueous solutions with initial concentrations of 100 mg/L and 82.1% for landfill leachate containing competitive metal ions such as Cd, Cu, Ni, Mn, and Zn. Furthermore, NWF-serine maintained 86% of its Pb(II) uptake after five use cycles. The coordination of the carboxyl and amino groups with Pb(II) was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and extended X-ray absorption fine structure analysis.