Zeolite synthesis from coal fly ash for the removal of lead ions from aqueous solution

Fly ash samples from the Bayswater and Eraring power plants, located in New South Wales, Australia, were used in a preliminary study on zeolite synthesis by hydrothermal treatment with sodium hydroxide under various conditions. The treated fly ash was tested for the ability to remove lead ions from aqueous solution. Both fly ashes were partially converted to zeolite. The zeolites formed under the experimental conditions were zeolite Na‐P1 and sodalite octahydrate for the Bayswater ash and phillipsite, zeolite X, zeolite Na‐P1 and sodalite octahydrate for the Eraring ash. The type of zeolite formed was dependent on the treatment time and sodium hydroxide concentration. In the case of the Bayswater ash, zeolite Na‐P1 was formed by treatment with 4 mol dm^?3 NaOH for 48 h while treatment with 5 mol dm^?3 NaOH for 96 h produced sodalite octahydrate at the expense of zeolite Na‐P1. In the case of the Eraring ash, phillipsite was formed following treatment with 3 mol dm^?3 NaOH, zeolite X and zeolite Na‐P1 were formed following treatment with 4 mol dm^?3 NaOH and sodalite octahydrate was formed following treatment with 5 mol dm^?3 NaOH. A maximum cation exchange capacity of ～400 meq/100 g was achieved by both treated ash samples. Treatment of a solution with a lead ion concentration of 120 ppm using 0.5 g of both treated ash samples (S/L ratio = 0.25 g/100 cm³) achieved complete removal in 5 min, whereas treatment with 0.1 g of each material (S/L ratio = 0.05 g/100 cm³) achieved complete lead ion removal after 24 h. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Determination of the efficiency and removal mechanism of cobalt by crab shell particles

The effects of contact time, solution pH and ionic strength on interactions between cobalt (⁵⁹Co) ions in synthetic liquid waste and particles of raw crab shell, Portunus trituberculatus, in batch reactions were studied. Approximately 19.5 mg dm^?3 Co was removed within 6 h after contact with 1.0 g dm^?3 crab shell at an initial concentration of 20 mg dm^?3 Co. Due to the dissolution of calcium carbonate in the crab shell, the solution pH changed spontaneously to 10, leading to precipitation of cobalt ions. The efficiency of cobalt removal depended on solution pH, but was less pH sensitive than for controls without crab shell. The maximum uptake of Co at an initial pH value of 5.0 was 510 mg g^?1 crab shell. The removal efficiency was affected slightly by ionic strength up to 2.0 mol dm^?3 of NaCl. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicated that the removal mechanism of Co by crab shell resulted primarily from the dissolution of calcium carbonate followed by precipitation of cobalt on the surface of the shell. Compared with commonly used ion‐exchange resins such as natural zeolite, Durasil 70, and Durasil 230, the efficiency of Co removal by a column of mixture of crab shell and activated carbon was at least three‐fold greater, indicating that crab shell is a suitable biosorbent for the removal of cobalt from liquid waste. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

The role of sulfate as a competitive inhibitor of enzymatically‐mediated heavy metal uptake by Citrobacter sp: implications in the bioremediation of acid mine drainage water using biogenic phosphate precipitant

Heavy metals can be removed from solution via biocrystallization with enzymatically‐liberated inorganic phosphate, according to Michaelis–Menten kinetics, in free whole cells and cells immobilized within polyacrylamide gel in a flow‐through reactor. Sulfate is a competitive inhibitor of phosphate release and a predictive model was developed and shown to describe the effect of sulfate on the efficiency of phosphate release by flow‐through columns. The inhibitory effect was substantially less than anticipated in the case of metal removal by the columns. In the case of lanthanum removal metal removal efficiency was restored by increasing the substrate concentration in accordance with model predictions. In the case of uranyl ion its removal with an equivalent substrate supplement increased the activity by 20% over the initial value at a limiting flow rate. Since the initial loss in activity in the presence of 40 mmol dm⁻³ SO₄²⁻ (approximately twice the K_i value) was only approximately 20% with both metals this was considered to be a minor problem for bioprocess application. In confirmation, calculations made from a published ‘case history’ of application of the system to the bioremediation of acid mine drainage water (AMD) containing 0.22 mmol dm⁻³ of uranyl ion and 35 mmol dm⁻³ of SO showed that the benchscale model is a good representation of performance under actual load conditions. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Removal of Fluoride from Water by Metal Ions (Al3+, La3+ and ZrO2+) Loaded Natural Zeolite

Abstract

In this study, the ion exchange of metal ions (Al³⁺, La³⁺ and ZrO²⁺) on modified zeolites was carried out using batch method. Fluoride removal from water using Al³⁺‐, La³⁺‐ and ZrO²⁺‐ exchanged zeolite was subsequently investigated to evaluate the fluoride sorption characteristics of the sorbents. Natural zeolite samples (<45 µm) were pre‐conditioned with HNO₃ solution (ZEO‐1), NaNO₃ solution (ZEO‐2), and deionized water (ZEO‐3) before loading Al³⁺, La³⁺, and ZrO²⁺ on zeolite. ZEO‐1 type zeolite had a higher capacity than ZEO‐2 and ZEO‐3 type zeolites. Metal exchange capacities are 0.233, 0.089, 0.090 mmol/g for ZrO²⁺‐, La³⁺‐, and Al³⁺‐ exchanged zeolite (ZEO‐1), respectively. Equilibrium isotherms fitted well to Langmuir and Freundlich models. Percent removal of fluoride from aqueous solution containing 2.5 mg F/L was 94% using metal loaded zeolite (ZEO‐1 type) at an adsorbent concentration of 6.00 g/L.     

Effect of sucrose on nisin production in batch and fed‐batch culture by Lactococcus lactis

The effects of sucrose on cell growth and nisin production by Lactococcus lactis were investigated in batch and pH feed‐back controlled fed‐batch cultures. In batch cultures, nisin titer reached its maximum, 2658 IU cm^?3, at the initial sucrose concentration of 30 g dm^?3. With sucrose concentrations higher than 30 g dm^?3, nisin production decreased while the biomass was not influenced significantly. By using the pH feed‐back controlled method, residual sucrose concentration could be controlled well in fed‐batch cultures and three conditions (sucrose maintained at 2, 16, 20 g dm^?3, respectively) were evaluated. Maintaining a low sucrose concentration at 2 g dm^?3 during feeding favored nisin biosynthesis, and the maximum nisin titer obtained was 4961 IU cm^?3 compared with 3370 IU cm^?3 (16 g sucrose dm^?3)and 3498 IU cm^?3 (20 g sucrose dm^?3), respectively. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Degradation of CI Reactive Red 141 by heterogeneous Fenton‐like process over iron‐containing ZSM‐5 zeolites

The Fenton‐like oxidation of CI Reactive Red 141 was investigated over iron‐containing ZSM‐5 zeolites. Iron was loaded by ion exchange or through hydrothermal synthesis. The oxidation process was carried out in an aqueous solution using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant. The catalyst prepared by ion exchange with a silicon/aluminium ratio of 42 zeolite showed the highest activity (97% decolorisation and 52% chemical oxygen demand reduction at an initial pH of 3.5) after an oxidation duration of 2 h. The chemical oxygen demand reduction increased with the increasing amount of iron loaded to the zeolite. The FeZSM‐5 catalyst, prepared by hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of oxalic acid, showed very good activity in terms of mineralisation (99% of chemical oxygen demand reduction). The iron leaching was noticeably low (below the European Union directives of 2 mg dm^?3) for the above‐mentioned catalysts.     

Heavy metal removal by ion exchanger based on hydroxyethyl cellulose

In the present work, ion exchange resin based on hydroxyethyl cellulose has been synthesized to remove the heavy metals, such as iron, cobalt, copper, and zinc from their aqueous solutions. The conditions in the column and batch modes were investigated for this purpose. The resin, having an average swelling percentage of 75.94 and an exchange capacity of 2.57 meq g⁻¹ resin, is being introduced as a new ion exchange resin in the heavy metal removal process. An investigation of the column operations using aqueous solutions of heavy metal ions indicated that the resin prepared has some advantages, including high total exchange capacity and good chemical stability. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 74: 3501–3506, 1999     

Transport of cadmium and iron through a carboxylic membrane based on a poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐divinyl benzene) system

The transport of cadmium and iron through a poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(methyl methacrylate‐co‐divinyl benzene) carboxylic ion‐exchange membrane was investigated with a system containing HCl as the receiver solution and CdCl₂ or FeCl₃ as the feed solution. Transport of the ions through the membrane depended on the H⁺ concentration in the receiver solution and the metal concentration in the feed solution. The rate of transfer for cadmium was about 35% higher than that for iron under the same conditions (0.5 mol/dm³ of HCl, 0.1 mol/dm³ of CdCl₂ or FeCl₃, and 5 h of dialysis). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 705–707, 2005     

Treatment of wastewater containing copper,zinc, nickel and cobalt using Duolite ES‐467

Duolite ES‐467 was used to treat wastewater containing heavy metal ions. Sorption experiments were carried out at varying pH values, agitation speeds, reaction times, and metal ion and sorbent concentrations. Each of the parameters affects the sorption behaviour of individual metal ions. Copper sorption was greater compared with other metal ions such as zinc, nickel and cobalt. The presence of other metal ions affects copper sorption. Equilibrium isotherm curves were developed. These were used to predict that the metal ion concentration would be reduced from 100 to less than 1 mg dm^?3. Fixed bed tests were conducted to investigate the efficiency of Duolite ES‐467 for the selective removal of copper ions from multi‐metal solutions. Breakthrough curves were obtained using Duolite ES‐467 for solutions containing copper, nickel and copper, zinc, nickel and cobalt. Elution studies were also carried out using sulfuric acid. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

Biosorption of Zn(II) by orange waste in batch and packed‐bed systems

BACKGROUND: This research provides new insights into the biosorption of zinc on a waste product from the orange juice industry. Optimal operating conditions maximizing percentage zinc removal were determined in batch and fixed‐bed systems. Biomass was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and by major cation content in order to better understand the biosorpion mechanism. Zn‐loaded orange waste was proposed to be used as an alternative fuel in cement kilns. RESULTS: Sorption capacity was strongly affected by biosorbent dose and solution pH, and was not strongly sensitive to particle size under the experimental conditions studied. Equilibrium data were successfully described by a Langmuir model and sorption kinetic data were adequately modelled with the pseudo‐second‐order and Elovich rate equation. The biomass was found to possess high sorption capacity (q_max = 0.664 mmol g^?1) and biosorption equilibrium was established in less than 3 h. Experimental breakthrough curves were adequately fitted to the Thomas model and the dose–response model, obtaining sorption capacities in continuous assays higher than those found in batch mode. Characterization of the biomass suggested the possible contribution of carboxyl and hydroxyl groups of biomass in Zn²⁺ biosorption and it also highlighted the important role of light metal ions in a possible ion‐exchange mechanism. CONCLUSIONS: Orange waste could be used as an effective and low‐cost alternative biosorbent material for zinc removal from aqueous solution. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Recycling of nickel–metal hydride batteries. I: Dissolution and solvent extraction of metals

Nickel–metal hydride batteries contain valuable metallic components and although they are not considered a hazardous waste, recovery of these materials is necessary from an economic point of view. In this work a hydrometallurgical method for the dissolution and separation of the metals from cylindrical nickel–metal hydride rechargeable batteries was investigated. Hydrochloric acid was employed as the leaching agent to dissolve the metals from the batteries. Dissolution of metals was investigated as a function of acid concentration, leaching time and temperature. Suitable conditions for maximum metal dissolution were 3 h leaching with 4.0 mol dm^?3 hydrochloric acid solutions at 95 °C. Extraction of 98% of nickel, 100% of cobalt and 99% of rare earth elements was achieved under these conditions. Separation of the rare earths from nickel and cobalt was preliminarily investigated by single batch solvent extraction with 25% bis(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid. Efficient separation via complete extraction of the rare earths was obtained at a pH of approximately 2.5 while leaving nickel and cobalt in the raffinate. A shrinking particle model which can enable, under certain conditions, evaluation of the extent of metal dissolution present in nickel–metal hydride batteries was developed. A proposed electrochemical recovery of nickel and cobalt is also briefly discussed. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Lipolytic enzyme production in batch and fed‐batch cultures of Ophiostoma piceae and Fusarium oxysporum

Lipase and esterase production by Ophiostoma piceae and Fusarium oxysporum were enhanced and extended by developing a fed‐batch process in stirred tank reactors. Fed‐batch strategy improved lipolytic enzyme production from Ophiostoma piceae in both 2 and 20 dm³ stirred tank reactors. However, fed‐batch fermentation of Fusarium oxysporum in the 2 dm³ reactor was more effective than both batch and fed‐batch fermentations in the 20 dm³ reactor. When a medium composed of only carbon and nitrogen source was intermittently fed to the cultures, the maximum specific lipase activity was improved by more than 80% and 35% in Ophiostoma piceae and Fusarium oxysporum cultures respectively. The maximum specific esterase activity was improved by 20% and 15% in Ophiostoma piceae and Fusarium oxysporum cultures respectively. The duration of production for both fungi extended from 144 to 216 h compared with a batch culture under the same condition. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Batch and fixed‐bed column adsorption of Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solution onto functionalised SBA‐15 mesoporous silica

Functionalised SBA‐15 mesoporous silica with polyamidoamine groups (PAMAM‐SBA‐15) was successfully prepared with the structure characterised by X‐ray diffraction, nitrogen adsorption–desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectra and thermogravimetric analysis. PAMAM‐SBA‐15 was applied as adsorbent for Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions removal from aqueous solution. The effects of the solution pH, adsorbent dosage and metal ion concentration were studied under the batch mode. The Langmuir model was fitted favourably to the experimental data. The maximum sorptive capacities were determined to be 1.74 mmol g^?1 for Cu(II), 1.16 mmol g^?1 for Pb(II) and 0.97 mmol g^?1 for Cd(II). The overall sorption process was fast and its kinetics was fitted well to a pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model. The mean free energy of sorption, calculated from the Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm, indicated that the sorption of lead and copper, with E > 16 kJ mol^?1, followed the sorption mechanism by particle diffusion. The adsorbent could be regenerated three times without significant varying its sorption capacity. A series of column tests were performed to determine the breakthrough curves with varying bed heights and flow rates. The breakthrough data gave a good fit to the Thomas model. Maximum sorption capacity of 1.6, 1.3 and 1.0 mmol g^?1 were found for Cu(II), Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively, at flow rate of 0.4 mL min^?1 and bed height of 8 cm, which corresponds to 83%, 75% and 73% of metallic ion removal, respectively, which very close to the value determined in the batch process. Bed depth service time model could describe the breakthrough data from the column experiments properly. © 2012 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering     

Competitive removal of nickel (II), cobalt (II), and zinc (II) ions from aqueous solutions by starch‐graft‐acrylic acid copolymers

Graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA) onto starch was carried out with ceric ammonium nitrate as initiator under nitrogen atmosphere. The grafting percentages (GP%) of starch‐graft‐acrylic acid (St‐g‐AA) copolymers were determined. The effect of GP% of St‐g‐AA copolymers on the competitive removal of Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺ ions from aqueous solution was investigated at different pH (2, 4, 6). The concentrations of each ion in aqueous solution 5 mmol/L. Effects of various parameters such as treatment time, initial pH of the solution and grafting percentage of starch graft copolymers were investigated. Metal ion removal capacities of St‐g‐AA copolymers increased with GP% of the copolymers and pH. The results show that the removal of metal ions followed as given in the order Co²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Zn²⁺. In this study, metal ion removal capacities were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2007     

Separation of cobalt and nickel from acidic sulfate solutions using mixtures of di(2‐ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (DP‐8R) and hydroxyoxime (ACORGA M5640)

DP‐8R and ACORGA M5640 extractants diluted in Exxsol D100 were used to co‐extract cobalt and nickel from aqueous acidic sulfate media. The influences of equilibration time, temperature, equilibrium pH and reagent concentrations on the extraction of both metals have been studied. It was observed that both cobalt and nickel extraction are slightly sensitive to temperature but are pH dependent. Metal extraction equilibria are reached within about 5 min contact time. In addition, cobalt extraction depends on the extractant concentration in the organic phase. For a solution containing 0.5 g dm^?3 each of cobalt and nickel and an initial pH of 4.1, conditions were established for the co‐extraction of both metals and selective stripping (with H₂SO₄) of cobalt and nickel. Using the appropriate reagent concentrations the yield (extraction stage) for both metals exceeded 90%, and stripping of cobalt and nickel was almost quantitative. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation of Na‐P1‐Type Zeolite and its Composite Material with Nanosized Magnetite

The Na‐P1‐type zeolite having a high cation‐exchange capacity (CEC) was obtained using the waste coal fly ash from thermal power stations and a 2M NaOH solution at 100°C. The Na‐P1‐type zeolite was formed with the reaction time of 6 h at 100°C, and its CEC value increased with an increase in the reaction time. The addition of a suitable amount of NaAlO₂ to the fly ash was also effective for improving the CEC value. A new composite material consisting of the Na‐P1‐type zeolite and magnetite was synthesized from the fly ash and iron chlorides because the magnetic collection was possible using this composite material after radioactive Cs⁺ ion adsorption. The existence of nanosized magnetites in the polycrystalline zeolite (several micrometers) was confirmed by TEM observations. The CEC and magnetic property of these composite materials were characterized.     

Cobalt removal from waste‐water by means of supported liquid membranes

BACKGROUND: Supported liquid membranes (SLM) are an alternative technique to remove and recover metals from diluted process solutions and waste‐water. In the present work, the removal of Co(II) from a synthetic CoSO₄ solution containing initial amounts of cobalt(II) in the range 100–200 ppm (0.1–0.2 g dm^?3) has been studied on a pilot scale. By performing batch equilibrium experiments, the optimal settings, i.e. the composition of the organic phase, the pH of the feed, the type and concentration of the stripping agent were determined. RESULTS: It is shown that the equilibrium characteristics of a synergistic extractant mixture containing di‐2‐ethyl‐hexylphosphoric acid (D2EHPA) and 5‐dodecylsalicylaldoxime (LIX 860‐I) are superior to D2EHPA. Both hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid have been evaluated as stripping solutions in liquid–liquid extraction tests and as the receiving phase in a SLM configuration. Although equilibrium tests showed no difference in stripping characteristics between both chemicals, it was observed that in a SLM configuration the stability of the system when hydrochloric acid is used is poor. With a commercially available SLM module (Liqui‐Cel Extra‐Flow 4 × 28) having a surface area of 19 m², a steady Co(II) flux of 0.140 gm^?2h^?1 has been obtained at influent concentrations of cobalt between 100 and 200 ppm with 3 mol dm^?3 sulfuric acid as stripping phase. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained show that a supported liquid membrane containing a synergistic mixture of LIX 860‐I and D2EHPA gives the possibility of recovering cobalt from dilute solutions. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Enhanced recombinant protein synthesis in batch and fed‐batch Escherichia coli fermentation based on removal of inhibitory acetate by electrodialysis

BACKGROUND: The formation of acetate as a metabolic by‐product in Escherichia coli fermentation is well known to have detrimental effects on cell growth and productivity. Various bioprocess and genetic approaches have previously been made to limit acetate accumulation, however, they tend to be conservative, limiting overall process productivity, or lead to other problems such as a decrease in maximum specific growth rate and decreased product yield on carbon. RESULTS: In this work, the utility of electrodialysis is examined as a potentially generic approach for in situ acetate removal and its impact on recombinant protein production. Using the induced synthesis of recombinant green fluorescent protein (GFP) in E. coli Tg1 (pGLO) as an example, it is shown that in situ removal of acetate to below inhibitory levels (～1 g L^?1) provides significant improvements in cell growth rate as well as specific biomass and recombinant protein yields. Experiments were performed in a 7.5 L stirred‐tank bioreactor using an external single cell‐pair electrodialysis module with an effective ion exchange membrane area of 0.01 m 2 . For this system increases in specific recombinant protein yield of up to 4‐fold have been observed dependent upon the time of induction, the mode of operation and the level to which acetate concentration is reduced in the fermentation broth. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of ED can significantly increase the level of recombinant protein synthesis in batch and fed‐batch fermentation. The approach is considered to be generic, readily implemented and has wide application for the production of recombinant enzymes and proteins. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Ion‐exchange adsorption of calcium ions from water and geothermal water with modified zeolite A

The modified zeolite A was prepared by a two‐step crystallization method to remove scale‐forming cations from water and geothermal water. The adsorption kinetics, mechanism and thermodynamics were studied. The calcium ion adsorption capacity of the modified zeolite A was 129.3 mg/g (1 mg/g = 10^?3 kg/kg) at 298 K. The adsorption rate was fitted well with pseudo‐second‐order rate model. The adsorption process was controlled by film diffusion at the calcium ion concentration less than 250 mg/L (1 mg/L = 10^?3 kg/m³), and it was controlled by intraparticle diffusion at the concentration larger than 250 mg/L. The calculated mass‐transfer coefficient ranged from 2.23 × 10^?5 to 2.80 × 10^?4cm/s (1 cm/s = 10^?2m/s). Dubinin–Astakhov isotherm model could appropriately describe the adsorption thermodynamic properties when combined with Langmuir model. The adsorption process included not only ion exchange but also complexation between calcium and hydroxyl ions. The adsorption was spontaneous and endothermal. The high adsorption capacity indicates that the modified zeolite A is a suitable adsorption material for scale removal from aqueous solution. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 61: 640–654, 2015     

Competitive removal of heavy metal ions by cellulose graft copolymers

The effect of composition of graft chains of four types cellulose graft copolymers on the competitive removal of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions from aqueous solution was investigated. The copolymers used were (1) cellulose‐g‐polyacrylic acid (cellulose‐g‐pAA) with grafting percentages of 7, 18, and 30%; (2) cellulose‐g‐p(AA–NMBA) prepared by grafting of AA onto cellulose in the presence of crosslinking agent of N,N′‐methylene bisacrylamide (NMBA); (3) cellulose‐g‐p(AA–AASO₃H) prepared by grafting of a monomer mixture of acrylic acid (AA) and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methyl propane sulphonic acid (AASO₃H) containing 10% (in mole) AASO₃H; and (4) cellulose‐g‐pAASO₃H obtained by grafting of AASO₃H onto cellulose. The concentrations of ions which were kept constant at 4 mmol/L in an aqueous solution of pH 4.5 were equal. Metal ion removal capacities and removal percentages of the copolymers was determined. Metal ion removal capacity of cellulose‐g‐pAA did not change with the increase in grafting percentages of the copolymer and determined to be 0.27 mmol metal ion/g_copolymer. Although the metal removal rate of cellulose‐g‐p(AA–NMBA) copolymer was lower than that of cellulose‐g‐pAA, removal capacities of both copolymers were the same which was equal to 0.24 mmol metal ion/g_copolymer. Cellulose did not remove any ion under the same conditions. In addition, cellulose‐g‐pAASO₃H removed practically no ion from the aqueous solution (0.02 mmol metal ion/g_copolymer). The presence of AASO₃H in the graft chains of cellulose‐g‐p(AA–AASO₃H) created a synergistic effect with respect to metal removal and led to a slight increase in metal ion adsorption capability in comparison to that of cellulose‐g‐pAA. All types of cellulose copolymers were found to be selective for the removal of Pb²⁺ over Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2034–2039, 2003