Selectivity and recovery performance of phosphate-selective molecularly imprinted polymer

A phosphate-selective molecularly imprinted polymer was prepared using 1-allyl-2-thiourea as a functional monomer, and the binding ability and selectivity of the polymer were evaluated. The imprinted polymer showed high binding ability to and selectivity for phosphate in aqueous media. The recoverability of phosphate from the imprinted polymer was also examined, and nearly 70% of highly concentrated phosphate could be recovered.