Pb2+ binding by polyaspartyl polymers and their application to Pb2+ removal from glycyrrhizin

Polyaspartate is an excellent Pb²⁺‐binding agent in comparison with some polyaspartamide derivatives with different side chains, in that it possesses a higher Pb²⁺ uptake and a lower Pb²⁺ equilibrium concentration. Equilibrium sorption data for Pb²⁺ on polyaspartate can be well fitted with the Freundlich and Langmuir models. Experimental results show that a crosslinked polyaspartate hydrogel is superior to poly(acrylic acid)‐based resins and polystyrene‐based chelating resins. IR spectra and X‐ray photoelectron spectra reveal that the polyaspartate hydrogel binds Pb²⁺ by both an ion‐exchange mechanism and a chelating mechanism. The polyaspartate hydrogel is also an effective agent for the removal of Pb²⁺ from glycyrrhizin. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 97: 2215–2220, 2005