HIGHLY EFFICIENT REMOVAL OF COPPER(II) IONS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION BY NICKEL 2-ETHYLIMIDAZOLATE

Abstract

Nickel 2-ethylimidazolate was obtained and characterized, which is used in this work as a sorbent for the removal of copper (II) ions. The sample characterization was carried out by scanning electron microscopy, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption. It was found that the obtained sorbent is a microheterogeneous material with the size of individual particles in the range of 0.4-0.7 μm. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms in the pores of nickel 2-ethylimidazolate were obtained. It was found that when processing the experimental data in linear coordinates of TVFM, linearization is reached in coordinates lnV-lnPs/P, which indicates the predominance of mesopores in the structure of nickel 2-ethylimidazolate. The total pore volume was determined from the TVFM linear coordinates. It was 0.21 cm3/g. According to obtained differential pore size distribution, the most probable average pore radius corresponds to 7.5 nm. One of the main characteristics of nickel 2-ethylimidazolate as a sorbent, the surface area was determined by the A.V. Kiselev method and amounted to 703.56 m2/g. The efficiency verification of using nickel 2-ethylimidazolate in the heavy metal ions sorption processes was carried out by removal of copper(II) ions from aqueous solutions by the limited solution volume method at different contact times. The copper(II) sorption kinetics in the presence of nickel 2-ethylimidazolate was studied by processing experimental data in the first and second orders linear coordinates. It was found that the adsorption kinetics of copper(II) ions is described by a second order model, which indicated ion-exchange adsorption. Equilibrium adsorption capacity in the sorbent-solution system is reached at a contact time of 90-120 min.