Floating-separation adsorbent for methylene blue and Pb(II) removal: Structure construction and adsorption mechanism.

[Display omitted] • A novel floating-separation adsorbent (APHGS-g-P(AMPS)) was designed and synthesized. • APHGS-g-P(AMPS) showed outstanding self-floating separation ability. • APHGS-g-P(AMPS) with satisfactory adsorption capacity was rich in –OH, –NH 2 and -SO 3 -. • The electrophilic addition strategy facilitated the grafting of P(AMPS) polymerized chains. • The sulfonic acid group exhibited excellent universal adsorption for MB and Pb(II). Inferior solid–liquid separation behavior and inadequate adsorption capacity are the main bottlenecks of current wastewater treatment adsorbents, especially in the purification of wastewater containing dyes and heavy metals. Accordingly, a novel floating separation adsorbent with polymeric chain structure, hollow glass sphere-g-(3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane-g-poly(2-acrylamide-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid) (APHGS-g-P(AMPS)), was fabricated through an electrophilic addition post-grafting strategy. The obtained APHGS-g-P(AMPS) exhibited satisfactory adsorption for methylene blue (MB) and lead ion (Pb(II)), as well as efficient flotation. Adsorption behavior analysis showed that the Pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model were suitable for describing the adsorption process, and the maximum adsorption capacities for MB and Pb(II) were 249.33 and 345.93 mg·g−1 (313.15 K), respectively. Analysis of the adsorption mechanism indicated that the sulfonic acid group exhibited excellent universal adsorption for MB and Pb(II), which played a crucial role in the adsorption process. Furthermore, the efficient grafting of P(AMPS) polymerized chains onto the adsorbent was the pivotal factor to enhance adsorption. This study provided an efficient electrophilic addition post-grafting strategy for the structural design and functional modification of floating separation adsorbents. The results of this study are expected to have positive implications for the efficient purification of dyes and heavy metals wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]