Polyethylenimine-Functionalized Corn Bract, an Agricultural Waste Material, for Efficient Removal and Recovery of Cr(VI) from Aqueous Solution.

In this study, polyethylenimine-functionalized corn bract (PEI-CB) was first used to remove aqueous Cr(VI) via the "waste control by waste" concept. The results indicated that PEI-CB had an excellent performance for Cr(VI) removal and the maximum removal capacity was 438 mg/g. The adsorption of Cr(VI) was fitted to the Langmuir model, and kinetics of uptake could be described by a pseudo-second-order rate model well. Amine was proven to be the active center for Cr(VI) adsorption and partial reduction to Cr(III), while removal efficiency was enhanced at a lower pH value and higher temperature. Besides, nanosized Cr2O3 with a high purity was obtained by simple calcination of a Cr(VI)-laden adsorbent. Hence, this study provided a novel strategy for Cr(VI) wastewater remediation and pure Cr2O3 recovery. Prepared PEI-CB was then a promising alternative of low cost for replacement of the current expensive absorbent of removing Cr(VI) from wastewater from the view of sustainability.