Issue 11, 2013

A mesoporous poly-melamine-formaldehyde polymer as a solid sorbent for toxic metal removal

Abstract

A mesoporous poly-melamine-formaldehyde (mPMF) polymer with a high surface area, good porosity and high density of amine and triazine functional groups has been designed and synthesized. This porous organic polymer (POP) was found to be highly effective in removing toxic lead ions from water. Of particular interest was the ability of mPMF to reduce lead ions in water to trace levels (ppt) within seconds. Adsorption over mPMF was found to be highly selective towards lead ions in the presence of main group cations, such as Na+, K+ and Ca2+, which are commonly found in water. The presence of a hexadentate ligand, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), did not affect the binding of lead ions to mPMF. The feasibility of lead ion removal by mPMF from water in dynamic flow was successfully demonstrated. mPMF also displayed good affinity towards other toxic metals, including cadmium, copper and palladium. The adsorbed metal ions could be easily recovered, and the mPMF sorbent was recycled for reuse. The ease of synthesis and low cost, coupled with the efficient and rapid removal of toxic lead ions, make mPMF an attractive adsorbent for the purification of waste and contaminated water.

Graphical abstract: A mesoporous poly-melamine-formaldehyde polymer as a solid sorbent for toxic metal removal

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
04 Jul 2013
Accepted
04 Sep 2013
First published
04 Sep 2013

Energy Environ. Sci., 2013,6, 3254-3259

A mesoporous poly-melamine-formaldehyde polymer as a solid sorbent for toxic metal removal

M. X. Tan, Y. N. Sum, J. Y. Ying and Y. Zhang, Energy Environ. Sci., 2013, 6, 3254 DOI: 10.1039/C3EE42216J

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements