Preparation of gel resins and removal of copper and lead from water

A series of gel resins were prepared by polymerizing glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and 2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS) and functionalizing with ammonia (NH₃) and tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA). The aminated gel resins were then used as an adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions (Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺). These gel resins containing amino groups and chelating amino groups had excellent adsorptive properties for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺. The adsorption process reached equilibrium in 40 min, and the adsorption capacities of Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ were 75.0 mg g^?1 and 266.6 mg g^?1 for the NH₃‐aminated gel resins and 57.5 mg g^?1 and 330.6 mg g^?1 for the TEPA‐aminated gel resins, respectively. After five adsorption–desorption processes, the adsorption capacities only decreased slightly. Thus, these aminated gel resins can be used as effective adsorbents for aqueous heavy metal ions (Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134 , 44466.     

Thiourea modified hyper‐crosslinked polystyrene resin for heavy metal ions removal from aqueous solutions

A hyper‐crosslinked resin chemically modified with thiourea (TM‐HPS) was synthesized, characterized, and evaluated for the removal of heavy metal ions (Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cu²⁺) from aqueous solutions. The structural characterization results showed that a few thiourea groups were grafted on the surface of the resin with a big BET surface area and a large number of narrow micropores. Various experimental conditions such as pH, contact time, temperature, and initial metal concentration of the three heavy metal ions onto TM‐HPS were investigated systematically. The results indicated that the prepared resin was effective for the removal of the heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The isotherm data could be better fitted by Langmuir model, yielding maximum adsorption capacities of 689.65, 432.90, and 290.69 mg/g for Pd²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cu²⁺, respectively. And the adsorption kinetics of the three metal ions followed the pseudo‐second‐order equation. FTIR and XPS analysis of TM‐HPS before and after adsorption further revealed that the adsorption mechanism could be a synergistic effect between functional groups and metal ions and electrostatic attraction, which may provide a new insight into the design of highly effective adsorbents and their potential technological applications for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018 , 135, 45568.     

Reactive green HE‐4BD functionalized supermacroporous poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel for heavy metal removal

The aim of this study was to investigate the heavy metal adsorption performance of supermacroporous poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) [PHEMA] cryogel. The PHEMA cryogel was produced by cryo‐polymerization. The PHEMA cryogel was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The PHEMA cryogel containing 385 μmol Reactive Green HE‐4BD/g were used in the adsorption studies. Adsorption capacity of the PHEMA cryogel for the metal ions, i.e., Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺ were investigated in aqueous media containing different amounts of the ions (5–600 mg/L) and at different pH values (3.2–6.9). The maximum adsorption capacities of the PHEMA cryogel were 11.6 mg/g (56 μmol/g) for Pb²⁺, 24.5 mg/g (385 μmol/g) for Cu²⁺ and 29.1 mg/g (256 μmol/g) for Cd²⁺. The competitive adsorption capacities were 10.9 mg/g (52 μmol/g) for Pb²⁺, 22.1 mg/g for Cd²⁺ (196 μmol/g) and 23.2 mg/g (365 μmol/g) for Cu²⁺. The PHEMA/Reactive Green HE‐4BD cryogel exhibited the following metal ion affinity sequence on molar basis: Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Pb²⁺. The PHEMA/Reactive Green HE‐4BD cryogel can be easily regenerated by 50 mM EDTA with higher effectiveness. These features make the PHEMA/Reactive Green HE‐4BD cryogel a potential adsorbent for heavy metal removal. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Adsorption for metal ions of chitosan coated cotton fiber

A kind of adsorbent for metal ions, cotton fiber coated by high loading of chitosan (SCCH) was prepared. Its structure was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FTIR), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). The adsorption properties of SCCH for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, such as saturated adsorption capacities, static kinetics, and isotherm were investigated. The adsorption for Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cd²⁺ was controlled by liquid film diffusion, but by particle diffusion for Cu²⁺. The adsorption process for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cd²⁺ could be described with Langmuir or Freundlich equation, but only with Freundlich equation for Pb²⁺. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Microwave preparation and adsorption properties of EDTA‐modified cross‐linked chitosan

A novel chitosan‐based adsorbent (CCTE) was synthesized by the reaction between epichlorohydrin O‐cross‐linked chitosan and EDTA dianhydride under microwave irradiation (MW). The chemical structure of this new polymer was characterized by infrared spectra analysis, thermogravimetric analysis, and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The results were in agreement with the expectations. The static adsorption properties of the polymer for Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Co²⁺ were investigated. Experimental results demonstrated that the CCTE had higher adsorption capacity for the same metal ion than the parent chitosan and cross‐linked chitosan. In particular, the adsorption capacities for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ were 1.28 mmol/g and 1.29 mmol/g, respectively, in contrast to only 0.372 mmol/g for Pb²⁺ and 0.503 mmol/g for Cd²⁺ on chitosan. Kinetic experiments indicated that the adsorption of CCTE for the above metal ions achieved the equilibrium within 4 h. The desorption efficiencies of the metal ions on CCTE were over 93%. Therefore, CCTE is an effective adsorbent for the removal and recovery of heavy metal ions from industrial waste solutions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Welan Gum-Modified Cellulose Bead as an Effective Adsorbent of Heavy Metal Ions (Pb2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+) in Aqueous Solution

A novel welan gum-modified cellulose adsorbent was prepared through emulsification, regeneration, and modification. SEM and FTIR were used to characterize the modified cellulose adsorbent. The adsorption isotherms of metal ions on the adsorbent were well fitted by Langmuir model, with the maximum adsorption capacities of 83.6, 77.0, and 67.4 mg/g for Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cu²⁺, respectively. The adsorption kinetics was well described using the pseudo-first-order model. Moreover, the adsorption capacities for the three metal ions increased with the increase of temperature, and the optimal pH was 5. Furthermore, the thermodynamic analysis indicated that the adsorption processes were spontaneous and endothermic.     

Removal of Cd2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions using tururi fibers as an adsorbent

This work investigates the removal of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions from aqueous solutions using tururi fibers as an adsorbent under both batchwise and fixed‐bed conditions. It was found that modification of the tururi fibers with sodium hydroxide increased the adsorption efficiencies of all metal ions studied. The fractional factorial design showed that pH, adsorbent mass, agitation rate, and initial metal concentration influenced each metal adsorption differently. The kinetics showed that multi‐element adsorption equilibria were reached after 15 min following pseudo‐second‐order kinetics. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich–Peterson models were used to evaluate the adsorption capacities by tururi fibers. The Langmuir model was found to be suitable for all metal ions. Breakthrough curves revealed that saturation of the bed was reached in 160.0 mL with Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺, and 52.0 mL with Ni²⁺ and Pb²⁺. The Thomas model was applied to the experimental data of breakthrough curves and represented the data well. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40883.     

Stability constants of amidoximated chitosan‐g‐poly(acrylonitrile) copolymer for heavy metal ions

Amidoximated chitosan‐g‐poly(acrylonitrile) (PAN) copolymer was prepared by a reaction between hydroxylamine and cyano group in chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer prepared by grafting PAN onto crosslinked chitosan with epychlorohydrine. The adsorption and desorption capacities for heavy metal ions were measured under various conditions. The adsorption capacity of amidoximated chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer increased with increasing pH values, and was increased for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ but a little decreased for Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺ with increasing PAN grafting percentage in amidoximated chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer. In addition, desorption capacity for all metal ions was increased with increasing pH values in contrast to the adsorption results. Stability constants of amidoximated chitosan‐g‐PAN copolymer were higher for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ but lower for Zn²⁺ and Cd²⁺ than those of crosslinked chitosan. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 73: 469–476, 1999     

Adsorption of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Ag(I) in aqueous solution on hollow chitosan microspheres

Cross‐linked chitosans synthesized by the inverse emulsion cross‐link method were used to investigate adsorption of three metal ions [Cd(II), Pb(II), and Ag(I)] in an aqueous solution. The chitosan microsphere, was characterized by FTIR and SEM, and adsorption of Cd(II), Pb(II), and Ag(I) ions onto a cross‐linked chitosan was examined through analysis of pH, agitation time, temperature, and initial concentration of the metal. The order of adsorption capacity for the three metal ions was Cd²⁺ > Pb²⁺ > Ag⁺. This method showed that adsorption of the three metal ions in an aqueous solution followed the monolayer coverage of the adsorbents through physical adsorption phenomena and coordination because the amino (? NH₂) and/or hydroxy (? OH) groups on chitosan chains serve as coordination sites. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Synthesis and adsorption properties,toward some heavy metal ions,of a new polystyrene‐based terpyridine polymer

A novel polymeric ligand having 2,2′:6′,2″‐terpyridine as pendant group was prepared through a Williamson type etherification approach for the reaction between 4′‐hydroxy‐2,2′: 6′,2″‐terpyridine and the commercially available 4‐chloromethyl polystyrene. The chelating properties of the new polymer toward the divalent metal ions (Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Pb²⁺) in aqueous solutions was studied by a batch equilibration technique as a function of contact time, pH, mass of resin, and concentration of metal ions. The amount of metal‐ion uptake of the polymer was determined by using atomic absorption spectrometry. Results of the study revealed that the resin exhibited higher capacities and a more pronounced adsorption toward Pb²⁺ and that the metal‐ion uptake follows the order: Pb²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Zn²⁺ > Ni²⁺. The adsorption and binding capacity of the resin toward the various metal ions investigated are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012     

Adsorption of selected toxic metals by modified peanut shells

The objective of this study was to modify peanut shells to enhance their adsorptive properties toward the metal ions cadmium (Cd²⁺), copper (Cu²⁺), nickel (Ni²⁺), lead (Pb²⁺) and zinc (Zn²⁺). Milled peanut shells were initially washed with water or 0.1 N NaOH or left unwashed. Following these treatments or lack of treatment, the shells were either left unmodified or modified by a heat treatment in the presence of either 1.0 M phosphoric acid or 0.6 M citric acid. Modified peanut shells were evaluated either for adsorption efficiency or for adsorption capacity using the five metal ions listed above. Adsorption efficiencies and capacities were compared with efficiencies and/or capacities for the commercial chelating or cation exchange resins Amberlite 200, Amberlite IRC‐718, Duolite GT‐73, and carboxymethylcellulose. For the adsorption efficiencies of individual metal ions, modified peanut shells met or exceeded the adsorption values for cadmium, copper, nickel or zinc ions compared with the commercial resins Duolite GT‐73 and carboxymethylcellulose. In a solution containing all five metal ions, modified peanut shells met or exceeded the adsorption efficiencies for cadmium, copper and lead ions compared with Duolite GT‐73, Amberlite IRC‐718 and carboxymethylcellulose. Adsorption capacities of modified peanut shells met or exceeded the adsorption capacity of Duolite GT‐73 for lead ions only. Citric or phosphoric acid‐modified peanut shells showed a preference for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ and appear promising as potentially inexpensive adsorbents for selected metal ions. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Competitive adsorption of Pb, Cu and Cd ions from aqueous solutions by multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The individual and competitive adsorption capacities of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ by nitric acid treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were studied. The maximum sorption capacities calculated by applying the Langmuir equation to single ion adsorption isotherms were 97.08 mg/g for Pb²⁺, 24.49 mg/g for Cu²⁺ and 10.86 mg/g for Cd²⁺ at an equilibrium concentration of 10 mg/l. The competitive adsorption studies showed that the affinity order of three metal ions adsorbed by CNTs is Pb²⁺>Cu²⁺>Cd²⁺. The Langmuir adsorption model can represent experimental data of Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ well, but does not provide a good fit for Cd²⁺ adsorption data. The effects of solution pH, ionic strength and CNT dosage on the competitive adsorption of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions were investigated. The comparison of CNTs with other adsorbents suggests that CNTs have great potential applications in environmental protection regardless of their higher cost at present.     

Chelating polymer bearing triazolylazophenol moiety as the functional group

The chelating polymer-bearing triazolylazophenol moiety as the functional group was synthesized, its metal adsorption properties for 6 divalent heavy metal ions; Co²⁺, Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺ were investigated. The capacity of the polymer for Cu²⁺ achieved 8.7 mEq/g in pH 5.3 solution. The polymer showed remarkable color changes from orange to red violet or blue violet with its chelations to the heavy metal ions. The metal adsorption rates of the polymer were rapid in performing complete capacity saturation of heavy metal ions in about 30 min. The capacities varied little the presence of alkali or alkaline earth metal ions in solutions. The perfect elimination of metals from the polymer–M²⁺ chelates were performed with mineral acid solutions. The metal ions; Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ in plating-process solutions were effectively removed by the chelating polymer, and the polymer can be practically used for the removal of these ions from waste water.     

The competitive heavy metal removal by hydroxyethyl cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) copolymer and its sodium salt: The effect of copper content on the adsorption capacity

Summary Crosslinked hydroxyethyl cellulose-g-poly(acrylic acid) (HEC-g-pAA) graft copolymer was prepared by grafting of acrylic acid (AA) onto hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) using [Ce(NH₄)₂(NO₃)₆]/HNO₃ initiator system in the presence of poly(ethyleneglycol diacrylate) (PEGDA) crosslinking agent in 1:1 (v/v) mixture of methanol and water at 30 °C. Carboxyl content of copolymer was determined by neutralization of –COOH groups with NaOH solution and sodium salt of copolymer (HEC-g-pAANa) was swelled in distilled water in order to determine the equilibrium swelling value of copolymer. Both dry HEC-g-pAA and swollen HEC-g-pAANa copolymers were used in the heavy metal ion removal from three different aqueous ion solutions as follows: a binary ion solution with equal molar contents of Pb²⁺and Cd²⁺, a triple ion solution with equal molar contents of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Cd²⁺, and a triple ion solution with twice Cu²⁺molar contents of Pb²⁺and Cd²⁺. Higher removal values on swollen HEC-g-pAANa were observed in comparison to those on dry polymer. The presence of Cu²⁺decreased the adsorption values for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺ ions on both types of HEC copolymer. However, with further increase in Cu²⁺ content both dry and swollen copolymers became apparently selective to Cu²⁺ removal and Cu²⁺ removal values exceeded the sum of adsorption values for Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. Maximum metal ion removal capacities were 1.79 and 0.85 mmol Me²⁺/g_polymer on swollen HEC-g-pAANa and dry HEC-g-pAA, respectively.     

Preparation of amidoximated bacterial cellulose and its adsorption mechanism for Cu2+ and Pb2+

Amidoximated bacterial cellulose (Am‐BC) was prepared through successive polymer analogous reactions of bacterial cellulose with acrylonitrile in an alkaline medium followed by reaction with aqueous hydroxylamine. It was used as an adsorbent to remove Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ from aqueous solutions. The adsorption behaviors of Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ onto Am‐BC were observed to be pH‐dependent. The maximum adsorption capacity of 84 and 67 mg g^–1 was observed, respectively, for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ at pH 5. Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) indicated that the microporous network structure of Am‐BC was maintained even after the modifacation. The adsorption mechanisms for Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ onto Am‐BC were investigated by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), ζ potential measurement and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results revealed that the mechanism for the adsorption of Cu²⁺ onto Am‐BC could be mainly described as between metal ions and nitrogen atom in the amidoxime groups or oxygen atom in the hydroxyl groups. However, in the adsorption process for Pb²⁺, precipitation played the important role along with electrostatic interactions, although chelation action also existed in the process accounted for the adsorption process. The regeneration of Am‐BC was studied by treatment with a strong complexing agent, ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA). © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Removal of heavy‐metal ions from aqueous solution with nanochelating resins based on poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride)

Chelating resins have been considered to be suitable materials for the recovery of heavy metals in water treatments. A chelating resin based on modified poly(styrene‐alt‐maleic anhydride) with 2‐aminopyridine was synthesized. This modified resin was further reacted with 1,2‐diaminoethan or 1,3‐diaminopropane in the presence of ultrasonic irradiation for the preparation of a tridimensional chelating resin on the nanoscale for the recovery of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. The adsorption behavior of Fe²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Pb²⁺ ions were investigated by the synthesis of chelating resins at various pH's. The prepared resins showed a good tendency for removing the selected metal ions from aqueous solution, even at acidic pH. Also, the prepared resins were examined for the removal of metal ions from industrial wastewater and were shown to be very efficient at adsorption in the cases of Cu²⁺, Fe²⁺, and Pb²⁺. However; the adsorption of Zn²⁺ was lower than those of the others. The resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry analysis. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Removal of Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions from aqueous solutions by starch-graft-acrylic acid/montmorillonite superabsorbent nanocomposite hydrogels

In this study, the removal of copper(II) and lead(II) ions from aqueous solutions by Starch-graft-acrylic acid/montmorillonite (S-g-AA/MMT) nanocomposite hydrogels was investigated. For this purpose, various factors affecting the removal of heavy metal ions, such as treatment time with the solution, initial pH of the solution, initial metal ion concentration, and MMT content were investigated. The metal ion removal capacities of copolymers increased with increasing pH, and pH 4 was found to be the optimal pH value for maximum metal removal capacity. Adsorption data of the nanocomposite hydrogels were modeled by the pseudo-second-order kinetic equation in order to investigate heavy metal ions adsorption mechanism. The observed affinity order in competitive removal of heavy metals was found Cu²⁺ > Pb²⁺. The Freundlich equations were used to fit the equilibrium isotherms. The Freundlich adsorption law was applicable to be adsorption of metal ions onto nanocomposite hydrogel.     

Synthesis and adsorption properties of macroporous cross‐linked polystyrene that contains an immobilizing 2,5‐dimercapto‐1,3,4‐thiodiazole with tetraethylene glycol spacers

A novel chelating resin macroporous cross‐linked polystyrene immobilizing 2,5‐dimercapto‐1,3,4‐thiodiazole via a hydrophilic tetraethylene glycol spacer (PS‐TEG‐BMT) is synthesized and the structure is characterized by means of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy dispersive X‐ray microanalysis (EDX), and elementary analysis. Its adsorption capacity for several metal ions such as Hg²⁺, Ag⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Fe³⁺, Bi³⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cu²⁺ are investigated. The initial experimental result shows that this resin has higher adsorption selectivity for Hg²⁺ and Ni²⁺ than for the other metal ions and the introduction of hydrophilic TEG spacer is beneficial to increase adsorption capacities. The result also shows that the Langmuir model is better than the Freundlich model to describe the isothermal process of PS‐TEG‐BME resin for Hg²⁺. Five adsorption‐desorption cycles demonstrate that this resin are suitable for reuse without considerable change in adsorption capacity. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 45:1515–1521, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Preparation and characterization of magnetic chelating resin based on chitosan for adsorption of Cu(II), Co(II), and Ni(II) ions

Cross-linked magnetic chitosan–diacetylmonoxime Schiff’s base resin (CSMO) was prepared for adsorption of metal ions. CSMO obtained was investigated by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), FTIR, ¹H NMR, wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXRD), magnetic properties and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The adsorption properties of cross-linked magnetic CSMO resin toward Cu²⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions were evaluated. Various factors affecting the uptake behavior such as contact time, temperature, pH and initial concentration of the metal ions were investigated. The kinetics was evaluated utilizing the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order. The equilibrium data were analyzed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Tempkin isotherm models. The adsorption kinetics followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second-order equation for all systems studied, evidencing chemical sorption as the rate-limiting step of adsorption mechanism and not involving a mass transfer in solution. The best interpretation for the equilibrium data was given by Langmuir isotherm, and the maximum adsorption capacities were 95 ± 4, 60 ± 1.5, and 47 ± 1.5 mg/g for Cu²⁺, Co²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions, respectively. Cross-linked magnetic CSMO displayed higher adsorption capacity for Cu²⁺ in all pH ranges studied. The adsorption capacity of the metal ions decreased with increasing temperature. The metal ion-loaded cross-linked magnetic CSMO were regenerated with an efficiency of greater than 84% using 0.01–0.1 M ethylendiamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA).     

Investigation of adsorption behaviors of Cu(II), Pb(II), and Cd(II) from water onto the high molecular weight poly (arylene ether sulfone) with pendant carboxyl groups

Three types of high molecular weight polyarylether adsorbents with different molar ratios of carboxyl and phenylene were designed and synthesized through direct polycondensation in mixture solvents. The as‐prepared polymers were characterized by FTIR, ¹H‐NMR, TGA, DSC, SEM, EDS, and GPC in order to study the regularity of polymeric adsorption/thermostability performances. Because of the highest molar ratio of carboxyl and phenylene, PAES‐C‐Na presented the highest adsorption capacity of Cu²⁺ compared to PAESK‐C‐Na and PAES; therefore, PAES‐C‐Na was opted to study the impacts of adsorbent dosage, pH, contact time, and initial concentration on the adsorption of Pb²⁺ and Cd²⁺. Moreover, a kinetic analysis revealed that the adsorption process followed pseudo‐second‐order model, while the thermodynamic experimental data properly fitted with the Freundlich model. The multi‐component competitive adsorption capacity followed the order Pb²⁺ > Cu²⁺ > Cd²⁺. Additionally, the regeneration tests indicated that PAES‐C‐Na still possessed the excellent adsorption capacity after several recycles. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41984.