Novel nanostructured dendrimer based on 1,3-bis(4,6-dichloro-1,3,5-triazine-2-yl)urea as an excellent adsorbent for Pb2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ions

Abstract

Human health is seriously harmed by the consumption of poor-quality water. Due to high toxicity and water solubility, heavy metals are present in wastewater discharged from numerous industries. In the environmental realm, metal-containing water must be treated before being released. A dendrimer is a superior adsorbent for the removal of heavy metal ions due to its nanostructure and hydrophilic end group. In this work, a novel triazine-based hydroxy-terminated dendrimer up to generation three is designed employing a carbamide core. The dendrimer's structure was explored using FT-IR and 1H NMR studies. Full generation dendrimers UG1.0, UG2.0, and UG3.0 were utilized as an adsorbent for Pb2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ion removal from water in a series of tests. The ability of dendrimers to uptake Pb2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ions was investigated under various pH, time interval and dendrimer generation parameters. The presence of metal in the dendrimer was confirmed by FT-IR studies of dendrimer-metal complexes. The overall results show that Pb2+, Ni2+, Co2+ and Zn2+ metal ions uptake increases with the generation, time, and pH.