Strong adsorbability of mercury ions on aniline/sulfoanisidine copolymer nanosorbents

The highest Hg-ion adsorbance so far, namely up to 2063 mg g(-1), has been achieved by poly(aniline-co-5-sulfo-2-anisidine) nanosorbents. Sorption of Hg ions occurs mainly by redox and chelation mechanisms (see scheme), but also by ion exchange and physisorption.Poly(aniline (AN)-co-5-sulfo-2-anisidine (SA)) nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical oxidative copolymerization of AN and SA monomers, and their extremely strong adsorption of mercury ions in aqueous solution was demonstrated. The reactivity ratios of AN and SA comonomers were found to be 2.05 and 0.02, respectively. While AN monomer tends to homopolymerize, SA monomer tends to copolymerize with AN monomer because of the great steric hindrance and electron-attracting effect of the sulfo groups, despite the effect of conjugation of the methoxyl group with the benzene ring. The effects of initial mercury(II) concentration, sorption time, sorption temperature, ultrasonic treatment, and sorbent dosage on mercury-ion sorption onto AN/SA (50/50) copolymer nanoparticles with a number-average diameter of around 120 nm were significantly optimized. The results show that the maximum Hg-ion sorption capacity on the particulate nanosorbents can even reach 2063 mg of Hg per gram of sorbent, which would be the highest Hg-ion adsorbance so far. The sorption data fit to the Langmuir isotherm, and the process obeys pseudo-second-order kinetics. The IR and UV/Vis spectral data of the Hg-loaded copolymer particles suggest that some mercury(II) was directly reduced by the copolymer to mercury(I) and even mercury(0). A mechanism of sorption between the particles and Hg ions in aqueous solution is proposed, and a physical/ion exchange/chelation/redox sorption ratio of around 2/3/45/50 was found. Copolymer nanoparticles may be one of the most powerful and cost-effective sorbents of mercury ions, with a wide range of potential applications for the efficient removal and even recovery of the mercury ions from aqueous solution.