Equilibrium studies on the uptake of nitrate and phosphate ions using functionalized carbon cloth

An anion exchanger (‘Cell-AE’) was prepared by grafting acrylonitrile (AN) onto carbon cloth waste followed by subsequent modification with hydrazine hydrate and dimethyl sulfate. The effect of radiation dose and monomer concentration was investigated. The nitrate ( $${\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }$$ ) and phosphate ( $${\text{PO}}_{{{4}}}^{{{{3}} - }}$$ ) sorption potentials of the ‘Cell-AE’ was evaluated via batch mode. The ‘Cell-AE’ showed a higher adsorption affinity towards $${\text{PO}}_{{{4}}}^{{{{3}} - }}$$ than $${\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }$$ . Similarly, the $${\text{PO}}_{{{4}}}^{{{{3}} - }}$$ and $${\text{NO}}_{3}^{ - }$$ adsorption was described by Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R) and Redlich-Peterson (R-P) models, respectively. The present study conclusively proffered a potential mitigation approach to carbon cloth waste management.