Remediation of pesticides, acetamiprid and imidacloprid from aqueous solutions using cellulose derived from sawdust of Populus nigra

Abstract In this study a low cost and easily available Black Poplar Sawdust ( Populus nigra L.) was converted into an efficient adsorbent for the removal of acetamiprid (AMR) and imidacloprid (ICR) pesticides from aqueous solutions. The effect of adsorption effecting parameters including initial pesticides concentration, variations in the adsorbent amount, time of contact, and pH were investigated to understand the adsorption process of both pesticides. Further the kinetic, thermodynamic, and isotherm models were used to get an insight into the process of adsorption taking place. The results of the study suggested that the isotherm data align effectively with both the Langmuir and Temkin isotherm models (both pesticides). The maximum adsorption capacity ( q m ) for AMR was found to be 25.22 mg g −1 , while for ICR, it was 25.65 mg g −1 . Furthermore, the adsorption kinetics were best described by the pseudo-second-order model with value of R 2 = 0.9934 & 0.9964 respectively for AMR and ICR. The thermodynamic analysis confirmed the spontaneity and feasibility of the adsorption process, evident from the negative ∆ G ° values at different temperatures. The thermodynamics parameter values also suggested that the adsorption process is physisorption and exothermic due to the negative ∆ H ° value. From the results it was concluded that the devised adsorbent could be effectively used in reclamation pesticides contaminated water subjected to further verifications through testing against other pesticides.