Abstract
Adsorption has become an attractive method for the extraction and recovery of metals from wastewater effluents. This study involved the fabrication of mesoporous neat polyacrylonitrile (PAN) monoliths and composite polymer monoliths of PAN and poly-4-vinylpyridine (P4VP) as adsorbents for toxic elements (As(V), Cr(VI)) and the recovery of PGMs(Ru(III), Rh(III), Pd(II)) from simulated wastewater solutions. Fabrication of the mesoporous polymer monoliths was conducted using the non-solvent induced phase separation method (NIPS). The monoliths were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). Adsorption studies were conducted using crushed monoliths saturated in 1 mg·L−1 simulated wastewater solutions. Spectroscopic analyses of the resulting filtrates were conducted using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). In this study, the NIPS method was successfully optimized and mesoporous PAN, as well as composite polymer monoliths, were successfully fabricated. A concentration of 1 mg·L−1 of Ru(III) and Pd(II) was completely adsorbed by both monoliths. The mesoporous composite polymer monoliths exhibited the highest adsorption capacity for Rh(III), As(V), and Cr(VI). The mesoporous polymer monoliths showed great potential for use as wastewater cleaning aids as well as remediators of precious metals.
Highlights
With a minimal 500 mm average annual rainfall, South Africa is included on a list of the 40 countries that are said to be the aridest in the world [1]
The two masses of PAN employed during the non-solvent induced phase separation method (NIPS) method that yielded the highest quality of polymer monoliths were found to be 0.164 g and 0.166 g
A smaller pore diameter in the composite polymer monolith implies that the pendant groups the polymer are packedneat together
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. With a minimal 500 mm average annual rainfall, South Africa is included on a list of the 40 countries that are said to be the aridest in the world [1]. In addition to water scarcity, contamination of the water supply available in South Africa can further limit the supply of water in the country, leading to dire consequences for both living organisms and the environment [2]. The contamination of water by heavy metals from various anthropogenic activities is of great concern owing to their toxicity. Heavy metals have increasingly become a plague to the environment owing to their high accumulation and endurance in the environmental system as well as their non-biodegradability [3]
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