Copolymer–hydrous zirconium oxide hybrid microspheres for arsenic sorption

Abstract

In this work, a hybrid organic-inorganic adsorbent based on polyelectrolyte copolymers of poly(4-vinylbenzyl trimethylammonium chloride–co–2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) microspheres mixed with a hydrous zirconium oxide phase were applied to remove arsenic species from aqueous solutions. The hybrid adsorbent was synthesized in a two-step procedure: first, the polymeric microspheres were obtained through emulsion radical copolymerization, and then, the microspheres were impregnated with a zirconium oxide precursor followed by the subsequent sol-gel reaction. The purpose of this hybrid material was to combine properties of each component in the interaction with arsenic oxoanions and compare its performance with commercial adsorbents. The polymer hybrid microspheres were shown to remove arsenate, and the presence of the inorganic phase also allowed for the removal of arsenite. The hybrid adsorbent exhibited arsenic sorption independent of pH, is able to regenerate, displays fast kinetics and has the ability to reduce arsenic concentration in treated water below 10 μg L−1 even in real samples with an initial concentration as high as 380 μg L−1.