Sorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions in the presence of EDTA on monodisperse anion exchangers

Conventional precipitation methods of industrial sewage and wastewater purification are not very effective and are insufficient in many cases. This implies the necessity of searching new, effective methods exploiting cheap, accessible and ecologically safe ion exchangers and sorbents. The paper presents the studies on removal of heavy metal ions — Cu(II), Zn(II), Co(II), Ni(II) and Fe(III) — from aqueous solutions in the presence of EDTA carried out on commercially available, strongly basic monodisperse anion exchangers with the polystyrene skeleton gel, Lewatit MonoPlus M 500; and the macroporous, Lewatit MonoPlus MP 500, which are more widely applied in water purification processes. The research results indicate a high affinity of the Lewatit MonoPlus M 500 and Lewatit MonoPlus MP 500 anion exchangers in the chloride form for copper(II), nickel(II), cobalt(II) and zinc(II) complexes with EDTA. The affinity series for the heavy metal complexes in the 0.001 M M(II)/(III)–0.001 M EDTA and 0.001 M M(II)/(III)–0.001M EDTA–0.001 M–0.002 M NaOH systems were found for the Lewatit MonoPlus M 500 anion exchanger in the chloride form to be as follows: Cu(II) > Ni(II) > Co(II) > Zn(II) Fe(III). In the case of the Lewatit MonoPlus MP 500 anion exchanger in the chloride form there was found the following affinity series: Cu(II) > Co(II) > Ni(II) > Zn(II) Fe(III). These anion exchangers can be applied in the removal of copper(II) complexes from waters and wastewaters.