Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Thermoplastic Films for Removal of Heavy Metal Ions

The main objective of this study is to establish the applicability of novel thermoplastic films based on extracted gelatins from bovine (G_b) and bird (G_c) bones in addition to hide powder (HP), which blended with modified polyethylene (MPE) for the removal of heavy metal ions such as copper (II), chromium (VI), nickel (II) and zinc (II) from aqueous media. The chemical reaction between 2-oxoglutaric acid with furfural in presence of methyl amine, via Mannich reaction mechanism, resulted in chemical compound I. The chemical structure of product I was confirmed by different spectroscopic tools such as: nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C- and ¹H-NMR) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The synthesized chemical product I was used as compatibilizing agent for blending G_b, G_c and Hp with MPE to obtain thermoplastic films using a polymer melting technique. The efficiency of the prepared films for absorption of different heavy metal ions from aqueous solution was investigated. The results indicated that the compatibilized films (MPE/I/HP) illustrated a maximum removal of zinc metal ions (～100%) under conditions of initial metal concentration about 240 mg/l. While, at initial metal concentration of about 150 mg/l, they exhibited excellent efficiency for removal of mixed metal ions of about 97–100% relative to the uncompatibilized ones (MPE/HP) 0%.