Surface Modified Cellulose Based Green Selenium Adsorbent Tailored via Radiation Assisted Graft Polymerization Approach

Selenium in ground water, a micronutrient in trace levels, can be potentially hazardous if exceeding permissible limits. Despite a gamut of remediation strategies available for targeting toxic metal ions, adsorption continues to be the preeminent method notwithstanding limitations in terms of sustainability, reusability, and scalability. This work reports implementation of an eco‐friendly gamma radiation mediated surface modification approach to generate a functionally active green cellulose‐based adsorbent for removing selenite ions from water. 3‐Methacrylamido‐N,N,N‐trimethylpropan‐1‐aminium chloride (MAPTAC) was radiolytically grafted onto cellulose fabric (Cotton‐ g ‐PMAPTAC) to incorporate quaternary ammonium groups under optimized reaction parameters. Cotton‐ g ‐PMAPTAC sequestered SeO 3 2− ions with an uptake efficiency of ~29 mg g −1 in batch adsorption. FTIR, XPS, SEM, and TGA analysis were invoked for physicochemical characterization of the adsorbent, while EDXRF and GFAAS were employed to evaluate uptake performance in the ppm and sub‐ppm levels, respectively. Influence of parameters: pH, temperature, grafting yield, and ionic strength on adsorbent efficiency was investigated, and its potential scalability explored through column flow mode adsorption studies. The maximum uptake efficiency recorded was 41.36 mg g −1 , with reusability demonstrated for 8 batch cycles using 0.5 N NaCl as eluent media. The developed adsorbent presents a sustainable material with multicycle reusability for effective Se(IV) mitigation in the environment.