Plant-based modified cellulose obtained from Populus nigra as a potential adsorbent for pesticides removal from aqueous media

In this study, cellulose was extracted from Populus nigra plant biomass and subsequently modified for use as an adsorbent for the removal of pesticide acetamiprid from wastewater. The extracted cellulose was purified using sodium oxychloride and hydrogen peroxide, acetylated with acetic acid, and further functionalized with polyvinyl alcohol. The prepared adsorbent was characterized via FTIR, UV-Vis spectroscopy, EDX, SEM, and XRD. The effects of various parameters, including the initial concentration of pesticide, adsorbent dosage, contact time, pH, and temperature on adsorption were examined using batch adsorption approaches. Maximum removal was obtained at 80 mg/L pesticide concentration, pH 8, 60 min contact time, and 0.08 g adsorbent dosage. The isothermal data for acetamiprid is matched perfectly to the Freundlich, Temkin and Harkins-Jura isotherm models with regression constant values approaching to 1, whereas good agreement was observed for kinetic data with the pseudo-second-order model. Thermodynamic analysis indicated the adsorption process as favorable and exothermic, with ∆H° = -81.65 kJ/mol, ∆S° = 305.62 J/mol·K, and ∆G° = - 116.90, -150.17 and 180.20 kJ/mol at 293, 313 and 333 K respectively. These findings suggest that the prepared cellulose-based adsorbent is an effective and promising material for pesticide removal from wastewater.