Abstract

This study concerns on the preparation of a novel Pb(II) ion-imprinted polymer (Pb(II)-IIP) based on the hyper-cross-linked polystyrene as porous support via precipitation polymerization of aniline, as functional monomers,and ammonium per sulfate, as the initiator. The prepared materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), liquid nitrogen physisorption analysis, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The potential of the prepared adsorbent for removing lead ions from water solutions was investigated in batch extraction experiments. The effect of three main variables affecting the adsorption process including pH, agitation time, and adsorbent dosage were screened. It is found that, under the optimum experimental conditions, the kinetics of the process follows pseudo-second-order reaction. Langmuir adsorption model described well the isotherm of the process. The results showed that the investigated adsorbent bears a good capacity and selectivity towards lead ions. Relatively fast adsorption kinetic was a further advantage of the developed adsorbent. It was shown that the adsorbent is stable and can be reused in 6 adsorptiondesorption cycles.