Heavy metals removal from solution by polyaniline/palygorskite composite

Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to remove heavy metal ions such as Cu (II), Ni (II), Cd (II), and Cr (VI) from single‐metal solutions using a polyaniline/palygorskite (PP) composite. Different parameters affecting the adsorption capacity such as contact time and pH of the solution have been investigated. The structural characteristics of the PP composite were studied in this work. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used for the measurement of heavy metal contents, and the adsorption capacity (q_e) calculated were 114 mg Cu (II) g^?1, 84 mg Ni (II) g^?1, 56 mg Cd (II) g^?1, and 198 mg Cr (VI) g^?1 under optimal conditions. The removal of the metal ions from solutions was assigned to chelation, ionic exchange, and electrostatic attraction. Data from this study proved that the novel organic/inorganic composite presents great potential in the recovery and elimination of noble or heavy metal ions from industrial wastewater. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011.     

DOWEX M 4195 and LEWATIT® MonoPlus TP 220 in Heavy Metal Ions Removal from Acidic Streams

Two chelating ion exchangers possessing bis(2-pyridylmethyl)amine functional groups also known as bispicolylamine Dowex M4195, Lewatit^® MonoPlus TP 220 were used for the selective removal of Cu(II) ions from acidic streams. The resin was characterized by CHNS elementary analysis, surface area, pore size, and volume analysis. After cutting by ultramicrotome, scans using electron microscope and optical profiler were recorded. For the first time the interiors of these resins after the sorption process were shown. Their superior binding affinities for Cu(II) was confirmed even under high acidities. Various physiochemical parameters like solution pH, ion exchange dose, presence of chloride, and sulfate ions in the system were studied in order to determine sorption capacity and kinetic parameters. The most effective chelating ion exchanger proved to be Lewatit^® MonoPlus TP 220. Cu(II) ions sorption was affected by the presence of sulfate ions in the system. The monolayer sorption capacity (q₀) for Lewatit^® MonoPlus TP 220 was found to be 50.69 mg g^?1 and 86.44 mg g^?1 in the presence of chloride ions. The sorption of Cu(II) ions was found to be well represented by the pseudo second-order kinetics. The optimal desorption conditions were found using 1 M H₂SO₄ and 1 M NH₄OH.     

The conditions of cationic exchange with the use of recycling polystyrene derivative,the product of sulfonation by silica sulfuric acid

Growing amount of waste plastics has become an environmental problem on a global scale. This study presents an investigation of the conditions of cleaning water from heavy metal ions using chemically recycled polystyrene. To get effective ion exchangers, the sulfonation of virgin polystyrene and expanded polystyrene wastes were obtained using silica sulfuric acid. As it turned out, the use of this solid sulfonating agent simplifies the separation of the polymeric product from the acid and the solvent in comparison to conventional sulfonation methods. The ion exchange behavior of copper and zinc cations in the yielded sulfonated derivatives of polystyrene was studied. Batch shaking adsorption experiments depending on contact time, pH, temperature, and dosage of adsorbate were carried out. The stability of resin to cyclical adsorption and regeneration (column experiment) was also investigated. We report that resins have a high adsorption efficiency with total ion exchange capacity (IEC) about 2.6 meq g^?1, which drops with decreasing pH owing to competition between protons H⁺ and metal cations, whereas with the increasing resin doses the removal of cations rises for a constant initial metal concentration. The speed of cation exchange for yielded adsorbents was even better than for commercial resins. After 360 cyclical adsorption and regeneration in column, resin had working IEC of about 2.3 meq g^?1. The study shows that cation exchange resin from polystyrene wastes can be used as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions from water. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Competitive Separation of Lead,Cadmium, and Nickel from Aqueous Solutions Using Activated Carbon: Response Surface Modeling,Equilibrium, and Thermodynamic Studies

In this study, the competitive separation of lead, cadmium, and nickel ions from aqueous solutions using a commercial activated carbon (AC) has been investigated and optimized using response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions to reach the highest adsorption capacity for these metals were found as follows: initial pH = 6.3, temperature = 56.8°C, and shaking speed = 308 rpm. Under these conditions, the sequence of adsorption capacity toward the metal ions was as follows: Pb (II): 9.44 mg g^?1 > Cd (II): 9.37 mg g^?1 > Ni (II): 4.52 mg g^?1. The effect of shaking speed on the adsorption capacity of AC was higher than the effects of the initial pH and temperature, indicating the more important role of physisorption than chemisorption in the adsorption of these metal ions. This was confirmed by the results of thermodynamic studies. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to the Freundlich, Langmuir adsorption isotherm models and the Dubinin–Radushkevich model parameters were evaluated. All the models were tested and all were shown to represent the experimental data satisfactorily. The thermodynamic parameters such as ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG were computed from the experimental data. These values show that the adsorption is endothermic and spontaneous. The positive value of ΔS° indicates increasing of randomness at the solid/liquid interface during the adsorption of metal ions on AC.     

Sorption Behavior of Dowex PSR-2 and Dowex PSR-3 Resins of Different Structures for Metal(II) Removal

The sorption behavior of palladium(II) (Pd(II)) onto strongly basic anion exchange Dowex resins was studied depending on the concentration of hydrochloric acid (0.1–6.0 M HCl–100 mg Pd(II)/L), concentration of hydrochloric and nitric(V) acids (0.1–0.9 M HCl–0.9–0.1 M HNO₃–100 mg Pd(II)/L), and the time of contact of the solution with the anion exchange resin in the batch mode. Similar research was carried out also for the base metal ions such as cobalt(II) (Co(II)), copper(II) (Cu(II)), nickel(II) (Ni(II)), and zinc(II) (Zn(II)). The sorption process was also examined depending on the initial Pd(II) concentration, agitation rate, bead size distribution, and temperature. Pd(II) sorption was also checked in the column mode. The equilibrium and kinetic characteristics of the sorption of Pd(II) with the Dowex PSR-2 and Dowex PSR-3 anion exchange resins were determined. The possibilities of Pd(II) elution and reuse using the batch method was exploited. Pd(II) and Zn(II) sorption on the Dowex resins is time and concentration of acids dependent. Evaluating the determination coefficients, the kinetic studies showed that the pseudo-second-order equation and the Langmuir model described the data more appropriately than others. The maximum sorption capacity was 165.15 mg Pd(II)/g for Dowex PSR-2 and 184.39 mg Pd(II)/g for Dowex PSR-3. Dowex resins give quantitative Pd(II) removal from diluted acidic solutions.     

Removal of Copper(II) and Zinc(II) from Aqueous Solutions Using a Lignocellulosic-Based Polymeric Adsorbent Containing Amidoxime Chelating Functional Groups

In this study, the adsorption of Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions from aqueous solutions onto amidoximated polymerized banana stem (APBS) has been investigated. Infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm graft copolymer formation and amidoxime functionalization. The different variables affecting the sorption capacity such as pH of the solution, adsorption time, initial metal ion concentration, and temperature have been investigated. The optimum pH for maximum adsorption was 10.5 (99.99%) for Zn²⁺ and 6.0 (99.0%) for Cu²⁺ at an initial concentration of 10 mg L^?1. Equilibrium was achieved approximately within 3 h. The experimental kinetic data were analyzed using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models and are well fitted with pseudo- second-order kinetics. The thermodynamic activation parameters such as ΔG^o, ΔH^o, and ΔS^o were determined to predict the nature of adsorption. The temperature dependence indicates an exothermic process. The experimental isotherm data were well fitted to the Langmuir model with maximum adsorption capacities of 42.32 and 85.89 mg g^?1 for Cu(II) and Zn(II), respectively, at 20°C. The adsorption efficiency was tested using industrial effluents. Repeated adsorption/regeneration cycles show the feasibility of the APBS for the removal of Cu(II) and Zn(II) ions from water and industrial effluents.     

Synthesis,characterization, and application of a new chelating resin functionalized with dithiooxamide

Chloromethylated polystyrene‐divinylbenzene has been functionalized with dithiooxamide. The resulting chelating resin (DTOA) has been characterized by elemental analyses, infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and metal ion sorption capacities. It has been used for the preconcentration and separation of Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) prior to their determination by FAAS. Parameters such as the amount of the resin, effect of pH, equilibration rate, sorption and desorption of metal ions, and effect of diverse ions have been studied. The maximum sorption capacities found are 0.97, 0.12, 0.08, and 0.12 mmol g^?1 for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II) at pH 6.0, 5.5, 1.0, and 5.5, respectively. The preconcentration factors are 100, 100, 50, and 50 for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II), respectively. Recoveries of the metal ions were 96 ± 5, 97 ± 6, 96 ± 5, and 96 ± 5 at 95% confidence level, whereas the limits of detection are 2.0, 1.3, 2.5, and 25.0 μg L^?1 for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II), respectively. The calibration curves were linear up to 12 μg mL^?1 (R² = 1.000), 2 μg mL^?1 (R² = 0.998), 2 μg ml^?1 (R² = 1.000), and 5 μg mL^?1 (R² = 0.979) for Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II), and Pb(II), respectively. The reliability of the method has been tested by analyzing certified samples. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 2281–2285, 2007     

Adsorption of lanthanum by magnetic alginate‐chitosan gel beads

BACKGROUND: The risk of environmental pollution is aggravated by the increasing application of considerable amounts of rare earth elements in advanced materials. This paper reports the preparation of novel magnetic alginate–chitosan gel beads and their application for adsorption of lanthanum ions from aqueous solution. RESULTS: Stable magnetic alginate–chitosan gel beads with average diameter 0.85 ± 0.05 mm were prepared by loading iron oxide nanoparticles onto a combined alginate and chitosan absorbent. The performance of the prepared beads for the adsorption of lanthanum ions from aqueous solution was tested. It was found that various parameters, such as aqueous pH, contact time, metal ion concentration, ion strength and temperature, have an effect on the adsorption. Adsorption equilibrium was reached in 10 h and the maximum uptake capacity was 97.1 mg g^?1. From the analysis of pH, FTIR and XPS data, it is proposed that lanthanum adsorption proceeds through mechanisms of cation exchange, electrostatic interaction and surface complexation, with the oxygen atoms the main binding sites. In addition, lanthanum ions could be selectively separated from coexisting base metal ions such as Pb (II), Cd (II), Co (II), Ni (II) and Cu (II) in the aqueous solution. CONCLUSION: The prepared magnetic alginate–chitosan gel beads exhibit high uptake capacity and selectivity for lanthanum sorption, and thus can be used for adsorptive recovery of lanthanum from aqueous solutions. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Selective separation and concentration of Pd(II) from Fe(III), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cu(II) ions using thiourea‐formaldehyde resin

Thiourea‐formaldehyde (TUF), a well‐known chelating resin, has been synthesized and it was used in the adsorption, selective separation, and concentration of Pd(II) ions from Fe(III), Co(II) Ni(II), and Cu(II) base metal ions. The composition of the synthesized resin was determined by elemental analysis. The effect of initial acidity/pH and the adsorption capacity for Pd(II) ions were studied by batch technique. The adsorption and separation of Pd(II) were then examined by column technique. FTIR spectra and SEM/EDS analysis were also recorded before and after the adsorption of Pd(II). The optimum pH was found to be 4 for the adsorption. The adsorption data fitted well to the Langmuir isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity of the TUF resin for Pd(II) ions was found to be 31.85 mg g⁻¹ (0.300 mmol g⁻¹). Chelating mechanism was effective in the adsorption. Pd(II) ions could be separated efficiently from Fe(III), Cu(II), Ni(II), and Co(II) ions using TUF resin. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Evaluation of sorption behavior of polymethylene-bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) for Cu(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), Co(II) and Cd(II) ions

Poly[5,5??-methylene-bis(2-hydroxybenzaldehyde)1,2-phenylenediimine] resin was prepared and characterized by employing elemental, thermal analysis, FTIR, and UV?Cvisible spectroscopy. The metal uptake behavior of synthesized polymer towards Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(III) and Cd(II) ions was investigated and optimized with respect to pH, shaking speed, and equilibration time. The sorption data of all these metal ions followed Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin?CRadushkevich isotherms. The Freundlich parameters were computed 1/n?=?0.31?±?0.02, 0.3091?±?0.02, 0.3201?±?0.05, 0.368?±?0.04, and 0.23?±?0.01, A?=?3.4?±?0.03, 4.31?±?0.02, 4.683?±?0.01, 5.43?±?0.03, and 2.8?±?0.05?mmol?g^?1 for Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Fe(III), and Cd(II) ions, respectively. The variation of sorption with temperature gives thermodynamic quantity (??H) in the range of 36.72?C53.21?kJ/mol. Using kinetic equations (Morris?CWeber and Lagergren equations), values of intraparticle transport and the first-order rate constant was computed for all the five metals ions. The sorption procedure is utilized to preconcentrate these ions prior to their determination by atomic absorption spectrometer. It was found that the adsorption capacity values for metal-ion intake followed the following order: Cd(II)?>?Co(II)?>?Fe(III)?>?Ni(II)?>?Cu(II).     

Calcined tetrabutylammonium kaolinite and montmorillonite and adsorption of Fe(II), Co(II) and Ni(II) from solution

Kaolinite and montmorillonite were modified with tetrabutylammonium (TBA) bromide, followed by calcination. The structural changes were monitored with XRD, FTIR, surface area and cation exchange capacity measurements. The modified clay minerals were used for adsorption of Fe(III), Co(II) and Ni(II) ions from aqueous solution under different conditions of pH, time and temperature. The uptake of the metal ions took place by a second order kinetics. The modified montmorillonite had a higher adsorption capacity than the corresponding kaolinite. The Langmuir monolayer capacities for the modified kaolinite and montmorillonite were Fe(III): 9.3 mg g^− 1 and 22.6 mg g^− 1; Co(II): 9.0 mg g^− 1 and 22.3 mg g^− 1; and Ni(II): 8.4 mg g^− 1 and 19.7 mg g^− 1. The modified kaolinite interacted with Co(II) in an endothermic manner, but all the other interactions were exothermic. The decrease of the Gibbs energy in all the cases indicated spontaneous adsorption.     

Pyromellitic dianhydride‐modified β‐cyclodextrin microspheres for Pb(II) and Cd(II) adsorption

In this work, the pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA)‐grafted β‐cyclodextrin (β‐CD) microspheres have been prepared for the removal of lead and cadmium metal ions in aqueous solution by a batch‐equilibration technique. The effects of the pH of the solution, contact time, and initial metal concentration were studied. The adsorption capacities for the two metal ions increase significantly as a large number of carboxyl groups are present on the microspheres surface. The equilibrium process is better described by the Langmuir isotherm than the Freundlich isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacities are 135.69 and 92.85 mg g^?1 for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively. Kinetic studies show good correlation coefficients for a pseudosecond‐order kinetic model, confirming that the sorption rate is controlled by chemical adsorption. The regeneration of the adsorbent can be carried out by treating the loaded microspheres with 0.2 (mol L^?1) HCl obtaining high desorption rate for the two metal ions. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2007     

Synthesis,characterization, and application of amberlite XAD‐2‐ salicylic acid‐ iminodiacetic acid for lead removal from human plasma and environmental samples

A new chelating resin is prepared by coup‐ling Amberlite XAD‐2 with salicylic acid (SAL) through an azo spacer. Then the polymer support was coupled with iminodiacetic acid (IDA). The resulting sorbent has been characterized by FT‐IR, elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and studied for the preconcentration and determination of trace Pb (II) ion from human biological fluid and environmental water samples. The optimum pH value for sorption of the metal ion was 5. The sorption capacity of functionalized resin is 67 mg g⁻¹. The chelating sorbent can be reused for 20 cycles of sorption–desorption without any significant change in sorption capacity. A recovery of 95% was obtained for the metal ion with 0.5M nitric acid as eluting agent. The profile of lead uptake on this sorbent reflects good accessibility of the chelating sites in the Amberlite XAD‐2‐SAL/IDA. Scatchard analysis revealed that the homogeneous binding sites were formed in the polymers. The equilibrium adsorption data of Pb (II) on modified resin were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Redlich‐Peterson models. Based on equili‐brium adsorption data the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin constants were determined 0.428, 20.99, and 7 × 10⁻¹² at pH 5 and 20°C. The method was successfully applied for determination of lead ions in human plasma and sea water sample. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Separation and Recovery of Silver(I) Ions from Base Metal Ions by Thiourea- or Urea-Formaldehyde Chelating Resin

Abstract

In the present work, thiourea-formaldehyde (TF) and urea-formaldehyde (UF) chelating resins have been synthesized and they have been used in the adsorptions of Ag(I), Cu(II), and Zn(II) metal ions by batch and column methods. The effect of initial acidity of Ag(I) solution and the adsorption capacities of TF and UF resins by batch method and the separation of Ag(I) ions from Cu(II) and Zn(II) base metal ions by the column method were examined experimentally. The adsorption capacities of TF and UF resins were found as 58.14 and 47.39 mg Ag(I)/g by batch method and 30.7 and 4.66 mg Ag(I)/g, 0.80 and 0.121 mg Cu(II)/g, and under 0.002 mg Zn(II)/g by the column method, respectively. It was found that Ag(I) ions showed higher affinity towards TF resin than UF resin, compared with Cu(II) or Zn(II) ions, and Ag(I) could be separated more effectively by TF resin from Cu(II)and Zn(II) ions.     

Hg(II) removal from HCl solutions using a tetraalkylphosphonium ionic liquid impregnated onto Amberlite XAD‐7

Extractant impregnated resins (EIRs) were prepared by impregnation of Amberlite XAD‐7 with tetraalkylphosphonium chloride ionic liquid (IL). The EIRs were tested for the sorption of Hg(II) in HCl solutions. Mercury is bound on the EIR through an ion exchange mechanism involving chloroanionic species and the IL. The effect of HCl concentration and IL content is studied and the sorption isotherms are obtained in 1 M HCl solutions: the sorption capacity linearly increases with IL loading up to 100 mg Hg L^?1. A little fraction of the IL immobilized on the resin (about 40 mg IL g^?1) is tightly bound to the polymer limiting its reactivity with metal ions. The uptake kinetics are mainly controlled by intraparticle diffusion. At high IL loading the kinetics are slowed down, while the temperature has a limited impact. Nitric acid can be used for desorbing mercury and recycling the EIR for at least five cycles. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41086.     

Effect of gamma irradiation on the metal sorption and separation of some divalent metals by some new polymeric bifunctional resins

The metal sorption and separation of some divalent metals from solutions of varying acidity by a new series of gamma-irradiated ionic polymer resins have been investigated. Three polymeric resins, viz., phosphonic acid, phosphonate monoethyl ester, and phosphonate diethyl/monoethyl ester, were used in this study. The results of metal sorption and separation were compared with those of the well-known cation exchange resin Dowex X8. The results were correlated in the usual manner of distribution coefficients (D) of three divalent metals Sr(II), Co(II), and Ni(II). The results of metal sorption by the ionic resins under investigation compared with that of sulfonic acid resin, showed that Ni showed the highest affinity for the unirradiated monoethyl ester/phosphonic acid resin, while Sr showed the highest affinity for phosphonic acid resin and Co showed the highest affinity for mono/diethyl ester phosphonic acid resin. Moreover, the three metals (Sr, Co, Ni) showed the lowest affinity toward sulfonic acid resin. The calculated separation factors for the different resins indicate that the unirradiated phosphonic acid resin has the highest capacity to separate Sr from Ni, whereas mono/diethyl ester/phosphonic acid resins have the highest capacity to separate Co from Sr and Ni. Furthermore, the affinity of the ionic polymers for the metal ions was not greatly changed after gamma irradiation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polm Sci 65:1091–1101, 1997     

Conversion of soybean oil into ion exchange resins: Removal of copper (II), nickel (II), and cobalt (II) ions from dilute aqueous solution using carboxylate‐containing resin

An ion‐exchange resin containing carboxylic acid groups was prepared by reaction of epoxidized soybean oil with triethylene tetramine, followed by hydrolysis of glycerides by using sodium hydroxide solution. The cation exchange capacity of the resins was determined to be 3.50 mequiv/g. The adsorption capacity for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Co²⁺ on the obtained resin at pH 5.0 was found to be 192, 96, and 78 mg/g, respectively. Effect of pH on the adsorption capacity for copper (II), nickel (II), and cobalt (II) ions were also studied. Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Co²⁺ were adsorbed at a pH above 3. These metal ions adsorbed on the resin are easily eluted by using 1N HCl solution. The selectivity of the resin for Cu²⁺ from mixtures containing Cu²⁺/Co²⁺/Ni²⁺ ions in the presence of sodium chloride was also investigated © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 84: 2386–2396, 2002     

Modification and characterization of poly (ethylene terephthalate)‐grafted‐acrylic acid/acryl amide fiber for removal of lead from human plasma and environmental samples

A new fibrous adsorbent was prepared by grafting acrylic acid/acryl amide (AA/AAm) comonomers onto poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers. The resulting sorbent has been characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR), elemental analysis, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), FT‐Raman, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and studied for the preconcentration and determination of trace Pb (II) ion from human biological fluid and environmental water samples. The optimum pH value for sorption of the metal ion was 8. The sorption capacity of functionalized resin is 44.1 mg g^?1. The chelating sorbent can be reused for 20 cycles of sorption–desorption without any significant change in sorption capacity. A recovery of 100.2% was obtained for the metal ion with 0.5M nitric acid as eluting agent. Effect of grafting yield, shaking time, shape of sorbent, and pH of the medium on adsorption of the metal ion were investigated. Scatchard analysis revealed that the homogeneous binding sites were formed in the polymers. The equilibrium adsorption data of Pb (II) on modified fiber were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Redlich‐Peterson models. Based on equilibrium adsorption data, the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin constants were determined as 0.236, 10.544, and 9.497 at pH 8 and 20°C, respectively. The method was applied for lead ions determination from human plasma and sea water sample. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Removal of Heavy Metal Ions using New Chelating Material Containing N,O, and S Donor Sites

Abstract

A new chelating material (AT‐PHE‐HCHO) was synthesized by reacting 2‐aminothiazole‐phenol (AT‐PHE) azodye and formaldehyde (HCHO) in an alkaline medium. The materials were characterized by elemental analysis, FT‐IR and ¹H‐NMR spectroscopic studies. The chelating material was used for the adsorption of Cu(II), Zn(II), Mn(II), and Cr(III) from dilute aqueous solutions with variation of adsorption parameters. The adsorption was described quantitatively by fitting the equilibrium data to the Freundlich isotherm. The thermodynamic parameters ΔS and ΔH were calculated to be 86.02 J mol^?1 K^?1 and ?126.9 KJ mol^?1, respectively. The metal adsorption followed the sequence Cu(II)>Zn(II)～Cr(III)>Mn(II). The material was used for the removal of metal ions from synthetic as well as real samples.     

Polymer brushes on graphene oxide for efficient adsorption of heavy metal ions from water

The pollution of heavy metal ions in water poses a serious threat to human being and ecosystems. Here, we report polyamidoxime (PAO) brush grafted graphene oxide (GO) as a highly efficient adsorbent for extraction of toxic metal cations from water. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization was used to grow polyacrylonitrile (PAN) brushes on GO, followed by conversion of the nitrile groups in PAN into amidoxime groups, which had high binding affinity toward heavy metal cations. The PAO brush grafted GO demonstrated significantly fast adsorption kinetics and large adsorption capacity. At optimal pH 5, the PAO brush grafted GO can achieve maximum adsorption capacities of 116.7 mg g⁻¹ for Pb(II), 258.6 mg g⁻¹ for Ag(I), 192.2 mg g⁻¹ for Cu(II), and 167.9 mg g⁻¹ for Fe(III), which were significantly larger than those of small molecule functionalized GO. Mechanism analysis suggested that the enhanced adsorption performance was due to the myriads of functional groups in PAO brushes that were easily accessible to metal ions because of the swelling of the polymer brushes in water. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 48156.