Chemically modified kapok fiber for fast adsorption of Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+ from aqueous solution

Kapok fiber, a natural hollow fiber with thin shell and large cavity, has rarely been used as adsorbent for heavy metal ions. In this paper, kapok fibers were modified with diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA) after hydrophilicity treatment. The adsorption behavior of the resultant kapok-DTPA influenced by pH, adsorption time and initial concentration of metal ion was investigated. The results demonstrate that adsorption equilibrium was reached within 2 min for Pb2+ and Cd2+. Adsorption kinetics showed that the adsorption rate was well fitted by pseudo-second-order rate model. The adsorption isotherms were studied, and the best fit was obtained in the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacities of kapok-DTPA were 310.6 mg g−1 for Pb2+, 163.7 mg g−1 for Cd2+, 101.0 mg g−1 for Cu2+, respectively. After eight desorption and re-adsorption loops, the lost adsorption capacities for Pb2+ and Cu2+ were less than 10 %. Because of the large specific area derived from the hollow fiber structure, kapok-DTPA exhibited much better adsorption capacity compared with many other reported adsorbents based on natural materials.