Efficient Removal of Organic Contaminants from Aqueous Solution by Highly Compressible Reusable Three-Dimensional Printing Sponges

Adsorption is considered to be one of the most effective and economically viable technologies for removing contaminants from the environment. However, the disadvantages of its high-cost complicated process and difficulty in efficient recycling limit its practical application. Herein, a thermoplastic elastomer–polyvinyl alcohol composite (LAY-FOMM 60) sponge three-dimensional structure (3D printing sponge) was fabricated by the fused filament fabrication combined with water erosion technique. The size and shape of the resultant sponge were tailored, and the batch of adsorption/desorption experiments of Rhodamine B (RhB) onto the sponge was performed. The results show that the adsorption of RhB on the 3D printing sponge was mainly via physical adsorption, and pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models exhibited good correlation with the adsorption kinetic and isotherm data, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters suggest that the adsorption is an endothermic and spontaneous process. It is worth to note that the adsorption/desorption efficiency can be raised by compression. This results in high efficiency and low cost for adsorption/desorption process and benefit for regeneration of the adsorbent. The adsorption capacity was maintained over 85% of the initial capacity after being used for five cycles. The approach provides a simple strategy for manufacturing customizable porous adsorbent materials that meet various water treatment requirements.