Effect of gamma irradiation on the metal sorption and separation of some divalent metals by some new polymeric bifunctional resins

Abstract

The metal sorption and separation of some divalent metals from solutions of varying acidity by a new series of gamma-irradiated ionic polymer resins have been investigated. Three polymeric resins, viz., phosphonic acid, phosphonate monoethyl ester, and phosphonate diethyl/monoethyl ester, were used in this study. The results of metal sorption and separation were compared with those of the well-known cation exchange resin Dowex X8. The results were correlated in the usual manner of distribution coefficients (D) of three divalent metals Sr(II), Co(II), and Ni(II). The results of metal sorption by the ionic resins under investigation compared with that of sulfonic acid resin, showed that Ni showed the highest affinity for the unirradiated monoethyl ester/phosphonic acid resin, while Sr showed the highest affinity for phosphonic acid resin and Co showed the highest affinity for mono/diethyl ester phosphonic acid resin. Moreover, the three metals (Sr, Co, Ni) showed the lowest affinity toward sulfonic acid resin. The calculated separation factors for the different resins indicate that the unirradiated phosphonic acid resin has the highest capacity to separate Sr from Ni, whereas mono/diethyl ester/phosphonic acid resins have the highest capacity to separate Co from Sr and Ni. Furthermore, the affinity of the ionic polymers for the metal ions was not greatly changed after gamma irradiation. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polm Sci 65:1091–1101, 1997