Characterization of molybdenum disulfide nanomaterial and its excellent sorption abilities for two heavy metals in aqueous media

ABSTRACT

Here, molybdenum sulfide (MoS₂) was characterized and its performance as an adsorbent for Co(II)/Ni(II) removal from water was estimated in batch experiments. The nanomaterial exhibits thin-layered structure and contains numerous hydroxyl groups. High pH enhanced Co(II)/Ni(II) sorption, while ionic strength had no effect. The chemical sorption between the binding sites of MoS₂ and Co(II)/Ni(II) limited the rate. The Freundlich isotherm correlated better than Langmuir isotherm. The maximum sorption capacity for Co(II)/Ni(II) was 370.10/375.94 mg· g⁻¹, obviously exceeding other adsorbents. Both adsorptions were endothermic and spontaneous processes. This study indicates the intrinsic value of MoS₂ in removing heavy metals from water.

KEYWORDS:

• MoS₂
• heavy metals
• sorption
• kinetics
• thermodynamics

Additional information

Funding

Financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant number 31700476] is greatly acknowledged.