Cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB)-treated sugarcane bagasse for the removal of chromate in aqueous solution

Modification of sugarcane bagasse (SB) by cetylpyridinium bromide (CPB) creating surfactant-modified SB (SBC) for the removal of chromate has been studied. The CPB adsorbed increased in line with the increased CPB concentrations, and infrared spectroscopy showed preserved SB structure after modification. SB showed little adsorption capacity in the adsorption study; however, the adsorption of chromate is proportional to the amount of CPB adsorbed on SB, possibly due to the attached CPB molecules on the SB. CPB molecules create a bilayer formation on SB, generating anion exchange sites for chromate to be adsorbed on SBC. The adsorption behavior of chromate on SBC followed the Langmuir equation model better than the Freundlich model. A better adsorption capacity was noted at the lower pH value of the chromate solution. In conclusion, surfactant-modified SB could be a potential alternative adsorbent for removing toxic chromate anion in water. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 3rd International Conference on Separation Technology 2020.