Enhancing the removal of organic and inorganic selenium ions using an exfoliated kaolinite/cellulose fibres nanocomposite

Exfoliated kaolinite sheets/cellulose fibres nanocomposite (EXK/CF) was synthesised as a novel hybrid of materials of enhanced surface area and adsorption capacities for inorganic—selenate [Se(VI)] and selenite [Se(IV)]—and organic selenium pollutants—selenomethionine (SeMt). The adsorption reactions of the addressed selenium forms followed pseudo-first-order as a kinetic model and Langmuir as an isotherm model. The fitting results and the calculated Gaussian energies—Se (VI) at 2.0 KJ/mol, Se (IV) at 2.2 KJ/mol, and SeMt at 1.7 KJ/mol—suggested physisorption uptake in a monolayer and homogeneous form. The theoretical maximum selenium uptake capacity (q_max) for Se (VI), Se (IV), and SeMt was 137.5 mg/g, 161.4 mg/g, and 95.4 mg/g, respectively. The thermodynamic investigation verified spontaneous and exothermic properties of the selenium uptake reactions by the EXK/CF composite.