Separatable MoS2 loaded biochar/CaCO3/Alginate gel beads for selective and efficient removal of Pb(II) from aqueous solution

Centimeter-scale composite biochar-alginate gel beads (MoS2B/CaCO3/Alg) were designed for the adsorption of Pb(II) in water using MoS2 modified biochar as the filler, alginate as the matrix, and CaCO3 as the active additive component. The composite gel beads were characterized using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and other techniques. MoS2B/CaCO3/Alg showed excellent adsorption capacity over a wide range of pH 4–7. The maximum adsorption capacities obtained using the Langmuir model were 769.2, 833.3, and 909.1 mg g−1 at 10, 25 and 40 °C, respectively. At a dosing rate of 0.4 g L−1, MoS2B/CaCO3/Alg was able to reduce the Pb(II) concentration to below 0.05 ppm in complex simulated lead battery wastewater. After 10 repeated cycles, MoS2B/CaCO3/Alg maintained a high removal rate of 98.4 %. This spherical adsorbent is simple to prepare and easy to recover, has an ultra-high adsorption capacity, and is mechanically stable and resistant to interference, thus it is expected to be suitable for application in industrial wastewater treatment.