Synthesis of a Sorbent via Chemical Modification of Lignin with Urea

This  research  is  devoted  to  the  synthesis  of  a  highly  efficient  nitrogencontaining  sorbent  by  the  chemical  modification  of  technical  lignin,  an  industrial  byproduct,  with  urea.  The  main  objective  is  to  enhance  the  reactivity  of  the  lignin  macromolecule  and  form  sorptively  active  functional  groups  on  its  surface.  The  chemical  structure  and  surface  properties  of  the  resulting  modified  sorbent  were  characterized  using  Fourier-Transform  Infrared  (FT-IR)  spectroscopy.  The  experimental results demonstrated that the urea-treated lignin exhibited a significantly  higher sorption capacity for heavy metal ions and organic pollutants in aqueous media  compared  to  unmodified  lignin.  The  synthesized  eco-friendly  and  cost-effective  sorbent  holds  high  potential  for  application  in  industrial  wastewater  treatment  processes.