Macroporous and non-porous amino-functionalized glycidyl methacrylate based copolymers for hexavalent chromium sorption

Abstract

Two porous samples and one non-porous sample of crosslinked poly(glycidyl methacrylate-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate) [abbreviated PGME] were synthesized by suspension copolymerization and functionalized by ring-opening reaction of the pendant epoxy groups with diethylene triamine (deta). Initial PGME, as well as amino-functionalized samples, were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, mercury porosimetry, scanning electron microsopy and elemental analysis. The kinetics of Cr(VI) sorption by amino-functionalized PGME was investigated in batch experiments under non-competitive conditions. It was found that the porosity of PGME-deta samples plays an important role in Cr(VI) uptake. Cr(VI) sorption by macroporous amino-functionalized samples was rapid, with the uptake capacity higher than 80% after 30 minutes. Two kinetic models (the pseudo-first and the pseudo-second order) were used to determine the best-fit equation for chromium(VI) sorption by PGME-deta.