Stabilization of solvent-impregnated resins (SIRs) by coating with water-soluble polymer and chemical cross-linking and its application in mercury removal

Abstract

Stabilization of solvent impregnated resins was achieved by the formation of a surface coating with the absorptive layer of poly(vinyl alcohol) and cross-linking with the protective layer of vinyl sulphone (VS). Amberlite XAD-4 and vinyl sulphone proved to be effective matrix and cross-linking agents, respectively, in the preparation of a protective layer of SIRs containing Cyanex 923 as extractant. The stabilized SIRs were characterized by the amount of vinyl sulphone contributing to the N and S content in the stabilized resin as well as to its operational stability. Optical and single electron microscope pictures were used to examine the appearance and the morphology, respectively, of the external protective barrier of SIR. Batch and column mode of sorption/elution studies for the removal of mercury from aqueous solution at pH 4 were carried out with Cyanex 923 containing SIR coated with PVA cross-linked with VS. Stabilized SIR was found to be effective for the mercury removal and showed great stability during the batch recycle runs. Elution of mercury from SIR was quantitatively achieved with 3M HNO3. Kinetic and column performances were influenced by the degree of cross-linking of resin coating. Chemical stability and sorption capacity of stabilized SIR remained almost constant after several recycle runs whilst uncoated SIRs lose extractant with time as confirmed by efficiency studies.