3D-printed PEGDA monolith with robust silane-grafted chitosan for enhanced textile wastewater treatment

A novel and newly developed 3D-printed poly (ethylene glycol) monolith grafted with chitosan was fabricated by adopting a robust approach, combining 3D printing technology and surface grafting to improve the adsorption capacity. In present work, response surface methodology (RSM) approach was used to investigate the controlling factors of dipping time, chitosan concentration, pH and temperature. All factors have significant effect on adsorption performance, except for dipping time. The removal efficiency (R %) of methyl orange (MO) dye ranged from 20.8 % to 90.4 % and the equilibrium uptake capacity (K) ranged from 1 to 12.7 (mg/g) after 2 h. Six isotherm models, adsorption kinetics, followed by thermodynamic studies were performed. BOD and COD tests were analyzed to investigate the feasibility of its use in wastewater treatment. The recyclability of the grafted - chitosan PEGDA monolith was verified by evaluating its adsorption for four cycles and retained at 78 %, indicating it is stable and reusable. It also has good mechanical properties and stability, which is practical to be applied in real application. The synergistic effect of 3D-printed monolith and tuneable chemical properties of the monolith surface enhances the adsorptionftable performance, while implementing a statistical tool to determine the optimal conditions and influenceable process parameters with good predictability.