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PreprintCC BY-NC-NDChemRxiv

Cationic surfactant-modified cotton and cotton/polyester textile-derived biochar for hexavalent chromium removal via ion-exchange

  • Taymee A. Brandon1,2
  • Chad T. Jafvert1,2,3
  • Inez Hua1,2,3
  1. 1School of Sustainability Engineering and Environmental Engineering
  2. 2Purdue University
  3. 3Lyles School of Civil and Construction Engineering
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Abstract

Biochar derived from textile waste presents an opportunity in the circular economy for contaminant remediation from industrial wastewater. In this study, biochars derived from cotton and cotton-polyester blended textiles were assessed for the removal of the toxic and pervasive aqueous contaminant, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Unmodified textile-derived biochars exhibited some adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) under environmentally relevant pH conditions, but removal improved substantially once modified with the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Adsorption experiments conducted at 50–100 mg/L as Cr showed equilibrium capacities of about 1.6–2.0 mg Cr/g BC for unmodified biochars, increasing to 10–15 mg Cr/g BC for CTAB-modified materials, with rapid adsorption in the first 5 minutes. Maximum adsorption capacity for CTAB-modified cotton and cotton-polyester biochar prepared at 450 o C was determined to be 72 and 32 mg Cr/g BC, respectively, comparable to established adsorbents. Adsorption-desorption experiments conducted using low (10 mM NaCl) and high (500 mM NaCl) ionic strength showed apparent anion exchange capacities of ~0.08 to 0.09 meq/g, suggesting that chromium retention involves ion exchange with CTAB-derived quaternary ammonium sites in addition to electrostatic attraction. Similar adsorption behavior between feedstocks suggests that surfactant modification played a larger role in overall performance than feedstock composition. These findings demonstrate that textile-derived biochar can be engineered through surfactant modification to enhance the removal efficiency of industrially-relevant anionic contaminants like Cr(VI), supporting their potential use as low-cost sorbents for industrial wastewater treatment.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@misc{brandon2026cationic,
  title = {{Cationic surfactant-modified cotton and cotton/polyester textile-derived biochar for hexavalent chromium removal via ion-exchange}},
  author = {Taymee A. Brandon and Chad T. Jafvert and Inez Hua},
  howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15010761/v1},
  url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010761/v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - UNPB
TI  - Cationic surfactant-modified cotton and cotton/polyester textile-derived biochar for hexavalent chromium removal via ion-exchange
AU  - Taymee A. Brandon
AU  - Chad T. Jafvert
AU  - Inez Hua
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/21
PB  - ChemRxiv
DO  - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15010761/v1
UR  - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010761/v1
AB  - Biochar derived from textile waste presents an opportunity in the circular economy for contaminant remediation from industrial wastewater. In this study, biochars derived from cotton and cotton-polyester blended textiles were assessed for the removal of the toxic and pervasive aqueous contaminant, hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)). Unmodified textile-derived biochars exhibited some adsorption capacity for Cr(VI) under environmentally relevant pH conditions, but removal improved substantially once modified with the cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). Adsorption experiments conducted at 50–100 mg/L as Cr showed equilibrium capacities of about 1.6–2.0 mg Cr/g BC for unmodified biochars, increasing to 10–15 mg Cr/g BC for CTAB-modified materials, with rapid adsorption in the first 5 minutes. Maximum adsorption capacity for CTAB-modified cotton and cotton-polyester biochar prepared at 450 o C was determined to be 72 and 32 mg Cr/g BC, respectively, comparable to established adsorbents. Adsorption-desorption experiments conducted using low (10 mM NaCl) and high (500 mM NaCl) ionic strength showed apparent anion exchange capacities of ~0.08 to 0.09 meq/g, suggesting that chromium retention involves ion exchange with CTAB-derived quaternary ammonium sites in addition to electrostatic attraction. Similar adsorption behavior between feedstocks suggests that surfactant modification played a larger role in overall performance than feedstock composition. These findings demonstrate that textile-derived biochar can be engineered through surfactant modification to enhance the removal efficiency of industrially-relevant anionic contaminants like Cr(VI), supporting their potential use as low-cost sorbents for industrial wastewater treatment.
ER  -