Aminated lignin-derived sponge carbon for the capacitive deionization of copper ions

The removal of Cu2+ ions is of great importance for the purification of copper-containing wastewater. The development of a CDI electrode material to remove Cu2+ ions has potential applications. Here, we prepare an aminated lignin-derived sponge carbon (LC-PG) for the capacitive removal of Cu2+ ions. The LC-PG electrode achieves an adsorption capacity of up to 53.75 mg·g−1 and a separation factor of 89.62 % in 50 mg·L−1 Cu2+ ion solutions. And it shows that the Cu2+ ion separation factor is 6 times higher than that of Na+ ions in the binary system. The LC-PG electrode still exhibits significant Cu2+ removal in the simulated Cu2+-containing electroplating wastewater. This study offers a promising strategy for the preparation of sponge carbon materials and the removal of Cu2+ ions from Cu2+-containing wastewater.