Cellulose-g-tetraethylenepentamine dual-function imprinted polymers selectively and effectively adsorb and remove 4-nitrophenol and Cr(VI)

Abstract A cellulosic material has been synthesized that could efficiently and selectively adsorb organic inorganic contaminants from aqueous solutions without interference competing adsorption sites. Cellulose-graft-tetraethylenepentamine molecular imprinted polymer (C-TEPA-MIP) was by using 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as the template. The C-TEPA-MIP adsorbent 4-NP Cr(VI) simultaneously selectively, being affected competitive sites of each these pollutants. predominantly due to in were located inside adsorbent, whereas primarily amine groups TEPA found on surface adsorbent. Compared with non-imprint template, showed higher selectivity for both unitary binary systems. In addition, exhibited good stability recyclability 4-NP, which makes it a promising candidate applications concerning wastewater treatment. Graphical abstract