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     

Poly (methacrylic acid) modified biomass for enhancement adsorption of Pb2+, Cd2+ and Cu2+

In this study, the graft copolymerization of methacrylic acid onto the biomass of baker's yeast was carried out in aqueous medium using potassium persulfate (PPS) as initiator. The poly (methacrylic acid) modified biomass obtained was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and microscopic analyses. The number of functional groups was determined by potentiometric titration. The adsorption capacity of the modified biomass for Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ showed a significant increase compared with the pristine biomass, due to the presence of a large number of functional groups. According to the Langmuir equation, the maximum uptake capacities (q_m) for Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺ were 243.9, 108.7 and 73.5 mg g^?1, respectively. Adsorption kinetics study showed that completion of the adsorption process needed only 30 min. The loaded biosorbent was regenerated using EDTA solution and used repeatedly three times with little loss of uptake capacity. Good results were obtained when the modified biomass was used to treat simulated wastewater containing Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Cu²⁺. Copyright © 2007 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.     

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.     

Competitive removal of Pb2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ by poly(acrylamide‐co‐maleic acid) hydrogels/differential pulse polarographic determination

Poly(acrylamide‐co‐maleic acid) [P(AAm/MA)] hydrogels, with various compositions, were prepared from ternary mixtures of acrylamide (AAm)/maleic acid (MA)/water by using ⁶⁰Co γ‐rays. The effect of composition of these hydrogels, on the competitive removal of Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Zn²⁺ ions from aqueous solution, was investigated. The hydrogel compositions and their adsorption behaviors were determined by use of differential pulse polarography, a very sensitive electroanalytical technique. It was observed that the external stimuli of pH, temperature, and ionic strength have an important role on the adsorption. The increments of MA content in P(AAm/MA) hydrogels caused a significant increase in the adsorption these ions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 94: 2401–2406, 2004     

Preparation of Chelating Resins Containing a Pair of Neighboring Carboxylic Acid Groups and the Adsorption Characteristics for Heavy Metal Ions

Abstract

For the functional enhancement of chelating resins containing carboxylic acids, copolymer beads were prepared by suspension polymerization of styrene (St), methyl methacrylate (MMA), and divinylbenzene (DVB) in the presence of toluene as diluent. The phenyl rings of the beads were directly chloromethylated, and the carboxylic ester groups of the beads were converted into hydroxymethyl groups by reduction followed by chlorination to give chloromethyl groups, respectively. The chelating resins containing a pair of neighboring carboxylic acid groups (NCAGs) were obtained by the alkylation of chloromethyl groups in copolymer beads with diethyl malonate in the presence of sodium hydride followed by hydrolysis using aqueous alkali solution. Accordingly, the structural effects of the resins on the adsorption of heavy metal ions were investigated. Poly(St‐co‐DVB)‐based chelating resin containing NCAGs showed adsorption abilities toward heavy metal ions like Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Cu²⁺, whereas poly(MMA‐co‐DVB)‐based chelating resin containing NCAGs showed adsorption abilities toward heavy metal ions like Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Co²⁺. On the other hand, poly(St‐co‐MMA‐co‐DVB)‐based chelating resin containing NCAGs showed adsorption abilities toward heavy metal ions like Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, and Cu²⁺: a synergistic effect on the adsorption of heavy metal ions like Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Co²⁺ was observed. The adsorption ability of poly(St‐co‐MMA‐co‐DVB)‐based chelating resin among three kinds of chelating resins was relatively good.     

Spectroscopic and thermal studies of poly[(N‐vinylimidazole)‐co‐(maleic acid)] hydrogel and its quaternized form

BACKGROUND: In this study, poly[(N‐vinylimidazole)‐co‐(maleic acid)] (poly(VIm/MA)) hydrogels were prepared by γ‐irradiation of ternary mixtures of N‐vinylimidazole–maleic acid–water using a ⁶⁰Co γ‐source. Spectroscopic and thermal analyses of these hydrogels as a function of protonation showed that the results are consistent with the existence of an H‐bridged complex when the imidazole rings are partially protonated. Finally, the efficiency and binding trends of Cu²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions with both protonated and unprotonated poly(VIm/MA) hydrogels were determined. RESULTS: Gelation of 90% was reached at around 180 kGy dose at the end of irradiation. The poly(VIm/MA) hydrogels synthesized were further protonated in HCl solutions with different concentrations. Hydrogels originally showed 450% volumetric swelling; this ratio reached 1900% after protonation at pH = 5.0. Fourier transform infrared spectral changes in the ⁺N? H stretching region (3200–3600 and 1173 cm^?1) and the ring mode deformation at 915 cm^?1 are consistent with the formation of an H‐bridged complex between the protonated and unprotonated imidazole rings upon partial protonation. Similar changes were obtained from NMR spectra of both the protonated and unprotonated forms of the hydrogels. CONCLUSION: Protonated and unprotonated hydrogels have been used in heavy metal ion adsorption studies for environmental purposes. Adsorption decreased with decreasing pH value due to the protonation of the VIm ring. The adsorption of Me²⁺ ions decreased in the order Cu²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Pb²⁺, which is related to the complexation stability as well as the ionic radius of the metal ions. These results show that P(VIm/MA) hydrogels can be used efficiently to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. However, the protonated form is a bad choice for heavy metal ion adsorption due to electrostatic repulsion forces; it can nevertheless be assumed to be a good choice for anion adsorption from environmental waste water systems. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Binding of heavy metal ions by formaldehyde-polymerized peanut skins

Peanut skin, when treated with formaldehyde to polymerize tannins, is a highly efficient substrate for removal of many heavy metal ions from aqueous waste solutions. The ions Ag¹⁺, Cd²⁺, Cr⁶⁺, Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, as well as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, were contacted with formaldehyde-treated peanut skin. Quantitative removal could be achieved with Ag¹⁺, Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Zn²⁺. Capacity of the substrate for ions was promising for Pb²⁺ (2.1 meq/g substrate), Cu²⁺ (3.0 meq/g), and Cd²⁺ (1.3 meq/g). Sorption from a solution containing Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, Ni²⁺, Pb²⁺, Zn²⁺, on a packed column of formaldehyde-treated peanut skin indicated that Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Cu²⁺ were rapidly and completely bound to the packing, while Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Zn²⁺ were poorly bound until the preferred ions had been removed from solution.     

Adsorption characteristics of metal ions by CO2-fixing Chlorella sp. HA-1

Single and binary metal systems were employed to investigate the removal characteristics of Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Zn²⁺ by Chlorella sp. HA-1 that were isolated from a CO₂ fixation process. Adsorption test of single metal systems showed that the maximum metal uptakes were 0.767 mmol Pb²⁺, 0.450 mmol Cd²⁺, 0.334 mmol Cu²⁺ and 0.389 mmol Zn²⁺ per gram of dry cell. In the binary metal systems, the metal ions on Chlorella sp. HA-1 were adsorbed selectively according to their adsorption characteristics. Pb²⁺ ions significantly inhibited the adsorption of Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions, while Cu²⁺ ions decreased remarkably the metal uptake of Cd²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions. The relative adsorption between Cd²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions was reduced similarly by the presence of the other metal ions.     

Competitive Adsorption of Ag+, Pb2+, Ni2+, and Cd2+ Ions on Vermiculite

Competitive adsorption of Ag⁺, Pb²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cd² ions on vermiuculite in a binary, ternary, and quaternary mixture was investigated in batch experiments. The effects of the presence of Ag⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions on the adsorption of Pb²⁺ ions were investigated in terms of the equilibrium isotherm. Experimental results indicated that Pb²⁺ ions always favorably adsorbed on vermiculite over Ag⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cd²⁺ ions. The adsorption equilibrium data of Pb²⁺ ions better fitted the Langmuir model than the Freundlich model. The results showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetics model was in good agreement with the experimental results for all metal ions, and the adsorption rate among the metal ions followed Ag⁺ > Pb²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Cd²⁺. The desorption and regenration study indicated that vermiculite can be used repeatedly and be suitable for the design of a continuous process.     

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     

SORPTION PROCESSES OF NATURAL IRANIAN BENTONITE EXCHANGED WITH CD2+, CU2+, NI2+, AND PB2+ CATIONS

Experimental studies on the retention of cadmium (Cd²⁺), copper (Cu²⁺), nickel (Ni²⁺), and lead (Pb²⁺) by bentonite samples from Iran were conducted using single- and multiple-component solutions. Based on the sorption capacity of bentonite the following order was obtained for single- and multiple-component solutions: Pb²⁺ > Cd²⁺ > Ni²⁺ > Cu²⁺. The maximum adsorption capacities of bentonite with metals in single- and multiple-component solutions were 29.5%, 22.5%, 19.2%, and 17.1% and 13.5%, 13.4%, 12.1%, and 9.1% for Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Cu²⁺, respectively. Desorption isotherms of Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Pb²⁺ deviated significantly from the sorption isotherms, thereby indicating irreversible or very slowly reversible sorption. Finally, soil solution saturation indices and metal speciation were assessed using the Visual MINTEQ 2.6 program and the probability of mineral precipitation was supported by scanning electron microscopy.     

Synthesis of polystyrene‐supported glucosamine resin and its adsorption properties for metal ions

A novel chelating resin polystyrene‐supported glucosamine was prepared by the reaction of chloromethylated polystyrene with glucosamine hydrochlorate, using anhydrous potassium carbonate as catalyst and dimethylformamide as solvent. Infrared spectra and elementary analysis were used to confirm its structure. The adsorption of the resin for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Hg²⁺, Co²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Pb²⁺ was investigated, as well as various factors affecting the adsorption such as time, temperature, ion concentration, and pH. The results showed that the resin had good adsorption capacities for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Hg²⁺. The adsorption was controlled by liquid film diffusion and adsorption isothermal data could be well interpreted by the Freundlich equation. Values of adsorption activation energy and adsorption Gibbs free energy were calculated. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 95: 890–896, 2005     

Selectivity of heavy metal ions at acidic supramolecular surfaces

Langmuir monolayers containing surface carboxylic acid head groups were examined in order to characterize their selectivity to metal ion adsorption. Experimental data of ion adsorption obtained by surface isotherms and FTIR spectroscopy were analyzed using a thermodynamic-and-electrochemical model. Among bivalent ions examined (Cr²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Ba²⁺), Langmuir monolayers showed the highest selectivity to chromium ions. In addition, it was found that adsorption constants of the surface ions are quite different from binding constants of the bulk ions. The results show important implications to sensing and separating metal ions by the use of acidic supramolecular materials.     

Alanine containing porous beads for mercury removal from artificial solutions

N‐methacryloyl‐(L )‐alanine (MALA) was synthesized by using methacryloyl chloride and alanine as a metal‐complexing ligand or comonomer. Spherical beads with an average diameter of 150–200 μm were obtained by suspension polymerization of MALA and 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) conducted in an aqueous dispersion medium. Poly(HEMA–MALA) beads were characterized by SEM, swelling studies, surface area measurement, and elemental analysis. Poly(HEMA–MALA) beads have a specific surface area of 68.5 m²/g. Poly(HEMA–MALA) beads with a swelling ratio of 63%, and containing 247 μmol MALA/g were used in the removal of Hg²⁺ from aqueous solutions. Adsorption equilibrium was achieved in about 60 min. The adsorption of Hg²⁺ ions onto PHEMA beads was negligible (0.3 mg/g). The MALA incorporation into the polymer structure significantly increased the mercury adsorption capacity (168 mg/g). Adsorption capacity of MALA containing beads increased significantly with pH. The adsorption of Hg²⁺ ions increased with increasing pH and reached a plateau value at around pH 5.0. Competitive heavy metal adsorption from aqueous solutions containing Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ was also investigated. The adsorption capacities are 44.5 mg/g for Hg²⁺, 6.4 mg/g for Cd²⁺, 2.9 mg/g for Pb²⁺, and 2.0 mg/g for Cu²⁺ ions. These results may be considered as an indication of higher specificity of the poly(HEMA–MALA) beads for the Hg²⁺ comparing to other ions. Consecutive adsorption and elution operations showed the feasibility of repeated use for poly(HEMA–MALA) chelating beads. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 1222–1228, 2006     

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.     

Reusability and selective adsorption of Pb<Superscript>2+</Superscript> on chitosan/P(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid-<Emphasis Type="Italic">co</Emphasis>-acrylic acid) hydrogel

Reusability and selective adsorption toward Pb²⁺ with the coexistence of Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions on chitosan/P(2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid-co-acrylic acid) [CS/P(AMPS-co-AA)] hydrogel, a multi-functionalized adsorbent containing –NH₂, –OH, –COOH and –SO₃H groups was studied. The CS/P(AMPS-co-AA) was prepared in aqueous solution by a simple one-step procedure using glow discharge electrolysis plasma technique. The reusability of adsorbent in HNO₃, EDTA-2Na and EDTA-4Na was investigated in detail. The competitive adsorption of the metal ions at the initial stage was compared between their equal mass concentration and equal molar concentration. In addition, the adsorption mechanism of the adsorbent for adsorption of Pb²⁺ was also analyzed by XPS. The results showed that the optimum pH of adsorption was 4.8, and time of adsorption equilibrium was about 180 min. Adsorption kinetics fitted well in the pseudo second-order model. The equilibrium adsorption capacities of Pb²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Ni²⁺ at pH 4.8 were obtained as 673.3, 358.3, 176.7, 235.0 and 171.7 mg g^?1, in their given order. The adsorbent displayed an excellent reusability using 0.015 mol L^?1 EDTA-4Na solution as the eluent, and the desorption ratio could not correctly reflect the true characteristics of adsorption/desorption process. Moreover, the adsorbent showed good adsorption selectivity for Pb²⁺. The molar adsorption capacity at the initial stage with equal molar concentration was more reliable than the mass adsorption capacity during the study of selective adsorption. According to the XPS results, the adsorption of Pb²⁺ ions by the CS/P(AMPS-co-AA) absorbent could be attributed to the coordination between N atom and Pb²⁺ and ion-exchange between Na⁺ and Pb²⁺.     

Selective online solid-phase extraction of copper using p-morpholino-methylcalix[4]arene appended silica-based column

ABSTRACT

This study deals with investigation of selectivity of p-morpholino-methylcalix[4]arene appended silica from a group of metal ions having similar charge and radii. The values of distribution ratio revealed that modified silica possess higher selectivity for Cu²⁺. In addition, relative selectivity coefficients of modified silica were found to be 24.1, 13.8, 8.6 and 4.01 for Cu²⁺/Ni²⁺, Cu²⁺/Co²⁺, Cu²⁺/Cd²⁺, Cu²⁺/Pb²⁺, respectively. The maximum adsorption capacity was 1.5 mmolg^?1. The reusability data suggested no any loss of adsorption capacity of this material up to 10 cycles. The developed material was also applied for determination of copper in lake water samples with satisfactory results.     

Chelation ion‐exchange properties of copolymer resin derived from 4‐hydroxyacetophenone,oxamide, and formaldehyde

A copolymer (4‐HAOF) prepared by condensation of 4‐hydroxyacetophenone and oxamide with formaldehyde in the presence of an acid catalyst proved to be a selective chelating ion‐exchange copolymer for certain metals. Chelating ion‐exchange properties of this copolymer were studied for Fe³⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Hg²⁺ ions. A batch equilibrium method was employed in the study of the selectivity of metal‐ion uptake involving the measurements of the distribution of a given metal ion between the copolymer sample and a solution containing the metal ion. The study was carried out over a wide pH range and in media of various ionic strengths. The copolymer showed a higher selectivity for Fe³⁺ ions than for Co²⁺, Zn²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Hg²⁺ ions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 89: 787–790, 2003     

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