Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Environmental Chemistry Letters (2018) 16:561–567 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-017-0692-5 ORIGINAL PAPER Citrate‑modifed Mg–Al layered double hydroxides for efcient removal of lead from water Weiqiang Chen 1  · Jinlu Xing 1  · Zhanhui Lu 1  · Jian Wang 3  · Shujun Yu 3  · Wen Yao 3  · Abdullah M. Asiri 2  · Khalid A. Alamry 2  · Xiangke Wang 2,3  · Suhua Wang 2,3 Received: 17 August 2017 / Accepted: 12 December 2017 / Published online: 14 February 2018 © Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature 2018 Abstract Lead contamination is a threat for the environment and human health due to lead non-degradability and non-detoxifcation. Therefore, methods for efcient removal of lead from contaminated waters are needed. Here, a novel material has been synthesised by surface functionalization of magnesium–aluminum layered double hydroxide with citrate (citric-LDH) and applied to the efcient removal of lead from aqueous solutions. Efects of ionic strength and temperature on the adsorption have been evaluated. Results show that lead adsorption by citric-LDH can be used for lead pollution cleanup. Adsorption kinetics were simulated using a revised model. Simulation results show that citric-LDH adsorb lead ions through a more efcient and time-dependent pathway, leading to the rapid and efcient removal of lead ions. Keywords Lead ion removal · Citric modifed · Layered double hydroxides · Adsorption kinetic equation · Wastewater · Layer insertion Introduction Lead (Pb) is an important heavy metal element (Moreira- Silva et al. 2017) and has been used in many industrial pro- cesses and products such as printing, battery manufactur- ing, dyes, hair burning and liming (Hashem et al. 2017). However, it is a highly toxic and shows great threat to envi- ronment when emitted from industrial factories and lead- containing daily products if not properly disposed. Lead can concentrate on the roots and segments of plants, and it can be accumulated in human body from food chain in the end because it cannot be decomposed or biodegraded (Deng et al. 2004). The lead entered inside the body will injure nerve, hematopoiesis, kidney, angiocarpy and internal secre- tion system. Therefore, it is highly demanded to study new methods for lead efcient removal from wastewater before being released into environment. In recent years, methods such as chemical co-precipi- tation, membrane separation and ion-exchange have been developed for heavy metal removal and recycling from wastewater (Hashim et al. 2011). The adsorption-based methods are regarded as the most efective and environmen- tal friendly due to their simplicity, low-time–cost and high selectivity. Recently, unique nanomaterials and inorganic matters such as carbon-materials, graphene-based materials, clay materials and metal oxides have been extensively inves- tigated for lead removal. Masoumeh Mashkani and Alimeh- dinia used Fe 3 O 4 conjugated with N-doped carbon quantum dot t for lead extraction (Masoumeh et al. 2018). Fuxian Cai and Qinghua Wang draw lead with manganese-tereph- thalic acid MOF/SWCNTs. The combination enlarged the BET surface area and micropores which enhanced the lead adsorption (Cai et al. 2017). Yehya M. Ahmed and Abdul- lah Al-Mamun ameliorated carbon nanofbers which has a 166 mg/g Pb(II) adsorption capacity (Ahmed et al. 2015). * Zhanhui Lu luzhanhui901@163.com * Xiangke Wang xkwang@iip.ac.cn * Suhua Wang wangsuhua@ncepu.edu.cn 1 School of Mathematics and Physical Science, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, People’s Republic of China 2 Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia 3 College of Environmental Science and Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, People’s Republic of China