Preparation of magnetic surface molecularly imprinting polymers based on glycidyl methacrylate as selective sorbents for aniline removal from aqueous medium

Abstract

In this paper, two molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) based on glycidyl methacrylate were synthesized by radical suspension polymerization and surface imprinting method in the presence of silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles. Ethylenediamine (eda) and triethylentetramine (teta) were used for surface imprinting. The samples were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), and mercury porosimetry. The sorption and desorption behaviors of two MIPs as an aniline sorbent from aqueous solutions were evaluated. Sorption studies were carried out in the pH range of 2.0 - 10.0, and maximum sorption capacities were attained at pH 6.0. Also, the effect of different desorption agents were examined and acetonitrile was chosen as the best desorbing eluent for aniline. The obtained MIPs were regenerated in four sorption/desorption cycles, and the results show that these two MIPs could be reusable as sorbents for removing aniline from polluted wastewater.