Methylamino‐group‐modified hypercrosslinked polystyrene resin for the removal of phenol from aqueous solution

Chemical modification was performed for macroporous crosslinked chloromethylated polystyrene. The obtained HJ‐K01 resin was used to remove phenol from aqueous solution, and its adsorption behaviors for phenol were compared with commercial Amberlite XAD‐4. The results indicate that methylamino groups were successfully uploaded onto the surface of the HJ‐K01 resin and the adsorption capacity of phenol onto the HJ‐K01 resin was much larger than that onto XAD‐4. Furthermore, the original phenol solution was suitable for the adsorption, the adsorption isotherms could be fitted by the Freundlich model, and its kinetic curves could be characterized by a pseudo‐second‐order rate equation. The fixed‐bed column adsorption demonstrated that the HJ‐K01 resin was an excellent resin for the removal of phenol. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Removal of concentrated heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions using polymers with enriched amidoxime groups

Particulate and fibrous adsorbents with enriched amidoxime groups were synthesized by using a novel monomer N,N′‐dipropionitrile acrylamide. The adsorption properties of amidoximated poly(N,N′‐dipropionitrile acrylamide) [poly(DPAAm)] particles and a nonwoven fabric grafted with the same for UO₂²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Co²⁺ at high concentrations were investigated by batch process. Metal ion adsorption studies were conducted from metal ion solutions with different initial concentrations (100–1500 ppm). It was shown that particulated amidoximated poly(DPAAm) has higher adsorption capacity than amidoximated nonwoven fabrics for all metal ions, especially for uranyl ions. The results of the adsorption studies showed that the interaction between UO₂²⁺ and amidoximated groups agree with the Langmuir‐type isotherm. From the Langmuir equation, the adsorption capacities were found as 400 mg UO₂²⁺/g dry amidoximated poly(DPAAm) and 250 mg UO₂²⁺/g dry amidoximated graft polymer. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 93: 1705–1710, 2004     

Adsorption of salicylic acid in aqueous solution by a water‐compatible hyper‐cross‐linked resin functionalized with amino‐group

On account of the high toxicity of nitrobenzene, 1,2‐dichloroethane was used as solvent. A novel water‐compatible hyper‐cross‐linked resin functionalized with amino‐group (denoted as GQ‐04) was synthesized to remove salicylic acid (SA) in aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacity of SA onto GQ‐04 was observed at pH of 1.88. The adsorption capacity increased with the increasing salt concentration. The adsorption kinetic data obeyed the pseudo‐second‐order rate equation and the adsorption isotherms can be characterized by Freundlich model. The intraparticle diffusion was the main rate‐controlling step. The saturated adsorption quantity of SA was up to 119.9 mg·mL‐1 according to the dynamic adsorption at 293 K. The resin could be regenerated by the 6 BV mixed solution of 80% ethanol and 0.5 mol/L NaOH. The size matching and hydrogen bonding between GQ‐04 and SA and the micropore structure resulted in the larger adsorption capacity in comparison with XAD‐4 and H103 resin. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Production of microporous resins for heavy‐metal removal. II. Functionalized polymers

Ion‐exchange polymers were used successfully in water‐treatment operations. In this study, three ion‐exchange resins based on 4‐vinylpyridine and divinylbenzene functionalized with N‐oxide groups were obtained. Their ion‐adsorption properties were measured in solutions containing chromium at concentrations of 4 and 500 ppm with column and batch equilibrium techniques. The removal efficiency of the chromium ions with HCl was observed to increase after the protonation of the N‐oxide groups. The resins could be reused after 10 cycles with the metal removal efficiency maintained at higher than 95%. These studies evidenced a strong correlation between the morphology and ionic group content in the resin and its chromium ion sorption capability. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008     

Flame‐retardant and morphological analysis of nitrogen heterocycle‐modified poly(vinyl alcohol) and their application for adsorption of heavy metal ions

The functional modification of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) was conducted through phosphorus containing nitrogen heterocycles. This has been believed to have extensive thermal stability and heavy metal ion adsorption in the area of polymers. The heterocyclic modified polymers were characterized by Infra red (FTIR), Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and elemental analysis. Thermogravimetric analysis studies displayed that phosphorus‐containing five membered and fused heterocyclic based PVA were less thermally stable than six membered compounds. Differential scanning calorimetric studies reported that the glass transition and melting point temperature of the heterocyclic modified PVA was higher than the pure PVA. X‐ray diffraction studies were done to analyze the structure of the modified polymer. Atomic force microscopy surface scans showed that the modified polymeric surface was found to have rough in micrometer scale. Modified PVA showed improved thermal stability, flame retardance, organosolubility, and surface roughness. The adsorption capacities of the modified PVA were determined for several heavy metal ions with the variation of pH. The adsorption capacity was found as 289 mg Pd²⁺/g of imidazole modified PVA and exhibited higher than other modified PVA. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

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     

Simultaneous adsorptive removal of methylene blue and copper ions from aqueous solution by ferrocene‐modified cation exchange resin

Resin was modified with ferrocene (Fc) to enhance removal of Methylene Blue (MB) and Cu²⁺ from simulated wastewater. The FTIR, N₂‐BET, and X‐ray fluorescence analysis confirmed that Fc was successfully grafted onto the surface of resin. The adsorption capacity of Fc modified cation exchange resin (FMCER) was calculated to be 392.16 mg/g Cu²⁺ and 10.01 mg/g MB. Both processes were spontaneous and exothermic, best described by Langmuir equation. Pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model satisfied the adsorption of MB, while the intraparticle‐diffusion model fitted the kinetics of Cu²⁺ adsorption best. The result revealed a multilayer adsorption of Cu²⁺ on FMCER, and the kinetics maybe controlled by intraparticle diffusion, film diffusion, and competition force. The adsorption of MB and Cu²⁺ on FMCER were physicosorptive, with activation energies of 2.09 and 1.27 kJ/mol. pH 2–7 and 4–5 are optimum for the removal of MB and Cu²⁺, and pH 4 is optimal for the simultaneous removal of MB and Cu²⁺. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41029.     

Imidazole modified acrylate-containing photocured hydrogels for the efficient removal of malachite green dye from aqueous solutions

In this work, we aimed to prepare a simple and an efficient adsorbent for the removal of toxic, cationic dye; malachite green (MG). We reviewed many previous studies and designed our adsorbent based on the rationale that (1) acidic groups containing monomers which are capable of making hydrogen bonds (or electrostatic interactions) with MG are very effective in adsorption and (2) π-π stacking enhances the adsorption capacity. We first synthesized an imidazole-acrylate adduct and used it for the preparation of photocured hydrogels. The imidazole-acrylate adduct was characterized by H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The effect of experimental conditions on the MG adsorption properties of the hydrogels such as the effect of pH, time and MG concentration were also investigated. Under the optimum conditions (pH = 6 and 220 min contact time) at room temperature, the maximum adsorption capacity was found as high as 714.28 mg/g. The results showed that the adsorption process of the optimum hydrogel, which can be used 4 times without a significant loss in its adsorption capacity, fits the Langmuir isotherm model. The hydrogel adsorbent displayed good selectivity and reusability.     

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.     

Selective adsorption of Au3+ from aqueous solutions using persimmon powder‐formaldehyde resin

A new adsorption resin has been developed by immobilizing persimmon powder with formaldehyde, and its adsorption properties to Au³⁺ were investigated in detail. The resin exhibited outstanding selective adsorption capacity towards Au³⁺ from acidic aqueous solutions (pH 2.0), which the equilibrium adsorption capacity was high up to 3025.20 mg g^?1 at 323 K. The resin exhibited 100% adsorption of Au³⁺ within 8 h, and the experimental data were well fitted with the pseudo‐first/second‐order rate model. The adsorption isotherms could be well described by Freundlich equation. The column studies suggested that the resin was effective for the adsorption of Au³⁺ from aqueous solutions, and the loaded Au³⁺ could be easily desorbed by acidic thiourea solution. The adsorption of Au³⁺ was an endothermic reductive adsorption process. This suggested that the resin can be used as an active biosorbent for the recovery of Au³⁺ from aqueous environment. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3937–3946, 2013     

Multifunctional amphoteric resin to remove both anionic and cationic dyes from aqueous solution

This study reports the synthesis and characterization of a new amphoteric resin, which can be used for the removal of both cationic, methylene blue (MB) and anionic dyes, reactive red-120 (RR-120). The amphoteric resin was characterized by ATR-FTIR, SEM–EDX, TGA/DTA, DLS, BET analysis and also its surface pHpzc was determined. The prepared resin has micro porous structure and its particle size was at the nano level. The prepared amphoteric resin showed high removal affinity for MB in both acidic and basic medium, while for RR-120 high removal affinity in acidic medium. Moreover, it was observed that the amphoteric resin has exhibited almost 100% dye removal up to 600 ppm for MB and up to 300 ppm for RR-120, respectively. The adsorption behavior of both dyes on the amphoteric resin is in agreement with the Langmuir isotherm and the pseudo-second order kinetic model and also electrostatic interaction is dominant in adsorption. Its capacity was slightly low for the MB than that of the commercial activated carbon, but higher for the RR-120. Furthermore, it was observed that the amphoteric resin almost did not lose its high removal efficiency in the concentrated matrix environment for both dyes. After five repeated adsorption–desorption cycles, the high removal efficiency of the resin for the MB (almost 100%) unchanged, but for the RR-120 decreased to 83%.     

Synthesis of polyaminostyrene‐based and polyallylamine‐based sorbents for boron removal

Hydroxyalkyl derivatives of polyaminostyrene (PAS), polyallylamine (PAA), and polyethyleneimine (PEI) containing a 2,3‐dihydroxypropyl moiety with a high degree of modification were synthesized. The chemical structures of the polymer transformation products were characterized with elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, ¹H‐NMR spectroscopy, and ¹³C‐NMR spectroscopy in the solid state. PAS reacted with glycidol and formed poly[N‐(2,3‐dihydroxypropyl)aminostyrene] with a high degree of functionalization. PAA revealed primarily the graft polymerization of glycidol. In the case of PEI, primary amino groups allowed the formation of an N‐derivative of 3‐aminopropanediol‐1,2. The PAA‐based sorbent showed a high sorption capacity toward boron ions in both acidic and alkaline media. From the sorption isotherm data, the maximum sorption capacity of this sorbent at pH 4 was determined to be 3 mmol/g. The PAS‐based resin maintained a high capacity between pH 9 and 12; the optimum pH was 12. The sorption capacity was 1.7 mmol/g. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43939.     

Calixarene-based extractants for heavy metal ions removal from aqueous solutions

The article reviews the literature on the possibility of application of the calixarene-based compounds for selective separation of toxic heavy metals from aqueous solutions by the solvent extraction and transport across liquid membranes. The specific three-dimensional structure of calixarenes and their derivatives, simple and low-cost synthesis, and ease of chemical transformation qualify these compounds for the role of selective chemical extractants of toxic heavy metal ions present in industrial wastewater. This article analyses the influence of various process factors, with the greatest emphasis on the structure of the extractants/carriers, on efficient separation of heavy metal ions, primarily those most commonly found in galvanic wastewater.     

Acrylamide‐plasma treated electrospun polystyrene nanofibrous adsorbents for cadmium and nickel ions removal from aqueous solutions

The aim of this work was to prepare novel electrospun polystyrene (PS) nanofibrous samples functionalization with acrylamide monomer (AAm) as promising nanoadsorbents by the use of nitrogen gas plasma. To investigate the performance evaluation of the samples for adsorbing cadmium (Cd²⁺) and nickel (Ni²⁺) ions, a series of tests in terms of ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy, FE‐SEM, water contact angle (WCA) measurements and atomic adsorption spectroscopy were carried out. The ATR‐FTIR results showed that nitrogen (N₂) plasma was an efficient tool because of the formation of functionalized AAm‐PS nanofibrous samples by providing amide (?NCO) and amine (?NH?) groups onto their surfaces. The WCA measurements demonstrated that the N₂ plasma‐modified samples in the presence of AAm had a lower contact angle of 42.8º than the other samples. Moreover, FE‐SEM micrpgraph images of AAm‐treated PS nanofibrous samples indicated that approperiate amount of the functional groups onto the samples surfaces were deposited. Afterwards, AAS analysis along with Langmuir and Freundlich's isotherm models revealed that a high adsorption of the ions was occurred at pH 5 in the order Cd²⁺ (10 mg g^?1) > Ni²⁺ (4.9 mg g^?1) by using the nanoadsorbents dosage 1 g L^?1 and the metal ions concentration 25 mg L^?1. In addition, the obtained results exhibited the Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺ ions removal efficiencies (%R) were increased up to 96% and 94%, respectively with raising the nanoadsorbents dosage. Moreover, the equilibrium adsorption of the ions showed the best fitting by the Freundlich's model. Finally, the desorption of the optimized samples for regenerating them owing to the effective removal of the ions has been confirmed by applying the recyclability test. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 42944.     

A chelating cellulose adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions

Regenerated cellulose wood pulp was grafted with the vinyl monomer glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) using ceric ammonium nitrate as initiator and was further fuctionalised with imidazole to produce a novel adsorbent material, cellulose‐g‐GMA‐imidazole. All cellulose, grafted cellulose and functionalized cellulose grafts were physically and chemically characterized using a number of analytical techniques, including elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The cellulose‐g‐GMA material was found to contain 1.75 mmol g^?1 epoxy groups. These epoxy groups permitted introduction of metal binding functionality to produce the cellulose‐g‐GMA‐imidazole final product. Following characterization, a series of adsorption studies were carried out on the cellulose‐g‐GMA‐imidazole to assess its capacity in the removal of Cu²⁺ ions from solution. Cellulose‐g‐GMA‐imidazole sorbent showed an uptake of ～70 mg g^?1 of copper from aqueous solution. The adsorption process is best described by the Langmuir model of adsorption, and the thermodynamics of the process suggest that the binding process is mildly exothermic. The kinetics of the adsorption process indicated that copper uptake occurred within 30 min and that pseudo‐second‐order kinetics best describe the overall process. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2006     

Facile preparation of magnetic chitosan modified with thiosemicarbazide for adsorption of copper ions from aqueous solution

In this study, magnetic chitosan modified with thiosemicarbazide (TSC‐Fe₃O₄/CTS) was facilely synthesized with glutaraldehyde as the crosslinker, and its application for removal of Cu(II) ions was investigated. The as‐prepared TSC‐Fe₃O₄/CTS was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray powder diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that TSC‐Fe₃O₄/CTS has high adsorption capacity and selectivity towards Cu(II) ions. Adsorption experiments were carried out with different parameters such as pH, solution temperature, contact time and initial concentration of Cu(II) ions. The adsorption process was better described by the pseudo‐second‐order model. The sorption equilibrium data was fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the maximum adsorption capacity toward Cu(II) ions was 256.62 mg/g. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the adsorption process of Cu(II) ions was exothermic spontaneous reaction. Moreover, this adsorbent showed excellent reusability and the adsorption property remained stable after five cycles. This adsorbent is believed to be one of the promising and favorable adsorbent for the removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017 , 134, 44528.     

Specific heavy metal ion recovery with ion‐imprinted cryogels

In this study, the functional monomers, N‐methacryloyl‐l ‐aspartic acid and N‐methacryloyl‐l ‐cysteine were synthesized through a reaction between appropriate amino acids and methacryloyl chloride. Then, Pb(II) or Cd(II) ion‐imprinted 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate based cryogels were prepared by free radical polymerization method under partially frozen conditions. Following the characterization of matrices, adsorption of heavy metal ions was examined in batch mode from aqueous solution considering several parameters affecting the adsorption performance. The actual adsorption capacities were 44.5, 65.3, and 86.7 mg/g for Cd‐1, Cd‐2, and Cd‐3 cryogels meanwhile those were 41.9, 86.3, and 122.7 mg/g for Pb‐1, Pb‐2, and Pb‐3 cryogels, respectively at optimum pH: 5.5. By increasing temperature, adsorption capabilities of both cryogels were inhibited because of the electrostatic nature of coordinated covalent bonds and collapsing of coordination spheres. The adsorption process was very fast, the equilibrium adsorption was achieved in about 60 min, which was directly related to macroporous structure and interconnected flow‐channels of cryogels. Kinetics and adsorption isotherms were also studied. Langmuir isotherms and pseudo‐second order kinetic model were well suited to adsorption data, which also indicated that the process occurred without any diffusion restrictions or steric hindrances. Finally, the competitive adsorption studies were performed using multi‐ion containing synthetic wastewater to show whether the cryogels developed are suitable for specific heavy metal recycling or not. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43095.     

Adsorption of organic amines from wastewater by carboxyl group‐modified polyacrylonitrile fibers

In this study, hexamethylenediamine (HMD) and hexamethyleneimine (HMI) were removed from a real wastewater by carboxyl group‐modified polyacrylonitrile (RPFC‐I) fibers. Adsorption of organic amines by fibrous absorbents is a new technique. Adsorption by fibers has advantages of fast kinetic, high adsorption capacity, and efficiency. Moreover, the fibers could be repeatedly used after regeneration. Batch adsorption tests were conducted to investigate adsorption comparison of the three fibers, adsorption kinetic, adsorption isotherms, regeneration, and readsorption stability. The experiments showed that RPFC‐I fibers had excellent adsorption capacity for HMI and HMD. The adsorption equilibrium was achieved very fast within about 5 min, and the removal rate of total nitrogen (TN) was above 99%. The adsorption kinetic could be well fitted by the pseudo‐second‐order equation. And the adsorption isotherm could be well fitted by the Langmuir model. The estimated maximum adsorption capacity was 105.2 mg g^?1, nearly similar with cation exchange capacity (CEC) of RPFC‐I fibers. Results from adsorption stability tests demonstrated that the RPFC‐I fibers could be fully regenerated by HCl and the regenerated fibers could be repeatedly used even after 12 adsorption–desorption cycles. Analyses from Fourier transform infrared and the adsorption tests suggested that chemical reaction between carboxyl groups and organic amines was the main mechanism for removal of HMI and HMD from the wastewater. The RPFC‐I fibers prepared in the current study have a wide application in wastewater treatment and useful substance recovery. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013     

Adsorption of Hg(II) in aqueous solutions using mercapto‐functionalized alkali lignin

A novel adsorbent for Hg(II), mercapto‐functionalized alkali lignin (AL‐SH) was synthesized by Friedel–Crafts alkylation reaction and nucleophilic substitution reactions. The adsorbent was characterized by the techniques of Fourier transform‐infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), elementary analysis and thermogravimetric analysis, and N₂ adsorption techniques. The effect of various parameters on Hg(II) adsorption process such as initial pH, contact time, ionic strength, initial Hg(II) concentration, temperature, and adsorbent dosage were investigated in detail through batch static experiments. The results indicated that the adsorption process of Hg(II) on AL‐SH was mainly dependent on the pH and the optimal pH value was at pH ranging from 4.0 to 6.0. The adsorption process was found to follow pseudosecond‐order kinetics and the main process was chemical adsorption, which equilibrated at 8 h. The adsorption isotherm was better described by Langmuir and Temkin isotherm equations compared to Freundlich isotherm equation and the maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 101.2 mg g^?1 (pH = 4.0, 20°C, initial Hg(II) concentration was 200 mg L^?1). The thermodynamic parameters of and were positive while was negative, revealed that the adsorption of Hg(II) onto AL‐SH was a spontaneous and endothermic process with increased entropy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40749.     

Poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone‐co‐2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate sodium): Synthesis,characterization, and its potential application for the removal of metal ions from aqueous solution

In the current study, poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone‐co‐2‐acrylamido‐2‐methylpropanesulfonate sodium), poly(VP‐co‐AMPS), was prepared and used for the removal of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, and Ni²⁺ ions via a polymer‐enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) technique. The copolymer was synthesized by radical polymerization in an aqueous medium with a comonomer feed composition of 50:50 mol %. The molecular structure of the copolymer was elucidated by ATR‐FTIR and ¹H NMR spectroscopy, and the average molecular weight was obtained by GPC. The copolymer composition was determined to be 0.42 for VP and 0.58 for AMPS by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The copolymer and homopolymers exhibited different retention properties for the metal ions. PAMPS exhibited a high retention capacity for all of the metal ions at both pH values studied. PVP exhibited selectivity for nickel ions. Poly(VP‐co‐AMPS) exhibited a lower retention capacity compared to PAMPS. However, for poly(VP‐co‐AMPS), selectivity for nickel ions was observed, and the retention of copper and cadmium ions increased compared to PVP. The homopolymer mixture containing PAMPS and PVP was inefficient for the retention of the studied metal ions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41272.