Synthetic functionalized terpolymeric resin for the removal of hazardous metal ions: synthesis, characterization and batch separation analysis

An effectual functionalized synthetic resin involving anthranilic acid/4-nitroaniline/formaldehyde was synthesized for the detoxification of hazardous metal ions. The resin was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, 1H, and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and its morphology was established through scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The resin was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis to assess the thermal stability, in which the resin could be used in high temperature aqueous solutions for the elimination of harmful metal ions. The ion-exchange property of the resin was evaluated by batch technique for specific metal ions viz. Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+. The study was extended to three variations such as effect of metal ion uptake in the presence of various electrolytes in different concentrations, effect of pH, and effect of contact time. The outcome proved that the resin can be used as a strong cation-exchanger to remove various metal ions from the solutions. The resin could be regenerated and reused with quantitative recovery of metal ions for few cycles. On comparison with the earlier reported resins, the synthesized resin has found excellent capability of metal ion recovery. The resin possesses an utmost ion-exchange capacity, which is in good harmony with isotherm models and kinetics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.