Graft copolymerization of acrylonitrile onto delignified native bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) cellulosic and its utilization potential for heavy metal uptake from aqueous medium

Abstract

Graft polymerization of acrylonitrile onto delingnified cellulosic material obtained from Nigeria grown bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris) could be initiated by a ceric ammonium nitrate redox system. Optimization of grafting of acrylonitrile onto cellulosic material was performed by varying the reaction conditions, such as the duration of soaking of cellulosic material in ceric ammonium nitrate solution, concentration of ceric ammonium nitrate solution, polymerization time, temperature of reaction, and acrylonitrile concentration and saponification time, in order to study their influence on percent grafting yield and grafting efficiency. The resulting cellulosic-g-polyacrylonitrile (PAN) copolymers were fractionated by extraction at 33 °C with N,N'-dimethylformamide. Fractions were characterized by determining both the % add-on and the free polymer. Saponification of grafted copolymer was done by reaction with sodium hydroxide followed by methanol precipitation. The absorbent polymer so produced gave fair water retention values. The optimum reaction conditions obtained were: 20 mmol/L ceric ammonium nitrate solution in 1% nitric acid, soaking duration of 0.5 h at 40 °C for a polymerization time of 2 h and saponification time of 3 h. The percent grafting was 167.89%, grafting efficiency was 93.52% and water retention value was 389 g/g. The grafting was confirmed using FTIR. Sorption of different metal ions in the mixture, e.g. Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu and Pb, by grafted cellulosic and the hydrogel was also investigated. Hydrolysis increases the sorption affinity of grafted cellulose toward water and metal ions.

Properties of Rubber Seed Shell Flour-Filled Polypropylene Composites: The Effect of Poly(ethylene co-Acrylic Acid)

“…RSSF was then sieved, and the granule size was measured by using a Malvern Mastersizer and found to have an average particle size of 100 m. The composition of RSSF is tabulated in Table 1 (Ekebafe et al 2010a).…”

“…The increment of water absorption of the composites is claimed due to lignocelluloses parts that made water molecules accessible (Danjaji et al 2002). The lignin and cellulose content of RSSF is shown in Table 2 (Ekebafe et al 2010a). The comparison of water uptake of uncompatibilized and compatibilized RSSFfilled composites is depicted in Fig.…”

Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Media Using Amidoximated Jute Fibres: A Comparative Study

“…2c. The characteristic band of -CN group at 2245 cm -1 was disappeared, and accompanied with the appearing of a broad band at 3000-3500 cm -1 for (N-H and O-H stretching vibration), at 1650 cm -1 for (C=N stretch vibration) and a broad band at 920cm -1 for (N-O stretch vibration) (Ekebafe et al, 2010).…”

Advances in natural rubber seed shell utilization in polymer technology

“…Also, rubber trees have been cultivated in over fourteen million acres of land [1]. The seed shell of rubber is essentially lingocellulosic agricultural by-product of the rubber tree [2]. The economic significance is mainly based on the exploitation of the rubber latex with minimum consideration on the value of the seed shell of the rubber tree.…”