Investigation on selective adsorption of Hg(II) ions using 4-vinyl pyridine grafted poly(ethylene terephthalate) fiber

Abstract

In the work, poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers were grafted with 4-vinyl pyridine (4-VP) monomer using benzoyl peroxide (Bz(2)O(2)) as initiator in aqueous media. The removal of Hg(II) ions from aqueous solution by the reactive fiber was examined by batch equilibration technique. Effects of various parameters such as pH, graft yield, adsorption time, initial ion concentration, and adsorption temperature on the adsorption amount of metal ions onto reactive fibers were investigated. The optimum pH of Hg(II) was found 3. The maximum adsorption capacity was found as 137.18 mg g(-1). Moreover such parameters as the adsorption kinetics, the adsorption isotherm, desorption time and the selectivity of the reactive fiber were studied. The adsorption kinetics is in better agreement with pseudo-first order kinetics, and the adsorption data are good fit with Freundlich isotherms. The grafted fiber is more selective for Hg(II) ions in the mixed solution of Hg(II)-Ni(II), Hg(II)-Zn(II), and Hg(II)-Ni(II)-Zn(II) at pH 3. Adsorbed Hg(II) ions were easily desorbed by treating with 1M HNO3 at room temperature. (C) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012