Efficient removal of heavy metal ions using hydrophilic thiacalix [4]arene doped polyaniline prepared by emulsion polymerization: conductivity, isotherm and kinetic study Rafieh-Sadat Norouzian and Moslem M. Lakouraj* The adsorption capacity of conductive polyaniline doped by thiacalix [4]arene tetrasulfonate (PANI-TCAS) towards Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II) and Cr(III) was investigated through batch adsorption techniques, and the extent of adsorption was measured as a function of pH, initial metal ion concentration and contact time. It was found that the metal ion removal reached maximum at pH 8.0 and remained constant after 60 min. Experimental data was fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson and Temkin equation models with the maximum adsorption capacity calculated to be 833.3, 555.5, 526.3 and 500 for Cr 3+ , Cu
2+, Co 2+ and Cd 2+ , respectively, from the Langmuir isotherm model. The kinetic study was carried out through pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich kinetic and intraparticle diffusion models in which the related correlation coefficient for each kinetic model showed that the pseudo-second-order rate equation was better described by the adsorption process. XRD spectra, SEM and TEM images of the adsorbent revealed a homogeneous distribution of nano-sized particle structure with a porous surface, the morphology of which brings about high adsorption capacity for the PANI-TCAS molecular nanocomposite which in turn was observed by the AFM micrograph. The conductivity of thiacalix [4]arene tetrasulfonate doped polyaniline after metal ion adsorption was also assessed, and the four-probe measurement technique revealed conductivity increment as high as 102.
INTRODUCTIONBreak-neck industrial growth in newly industrialized countries as well as increasing output in emerging markets has accelerated the release of heavy metals consisting of transition metals, group (IIIA), (IVA) and (VA) metal cations into the environment through aqueous waste streams from activities such as metal finishing, welding, mining, fertilizer and paper industries, tanning, etc… contaminated with high concentrations of toxic and nonbiodegradable heavy metal ions. [1,2] The accumulation of heavy metal ions poses significant risk to human health through the food chain even at low concentrations; thus a wide range of waste-treatment technologies such as chemical precipitation, ion-exchange, adsorption, membrane filtration, electrochemical technique and solvent extraction have been employed to remove such pollutants, each with their inherent advantages and limitations. [3,4] The adsorption method is widely considered effective and frequently utilized, which owes its popularity to the simplicity and easy operational conditions though the choice of adsorbent regarding their reactive functional groups has a significant impact on sorption behavior and dominates the sorption mechanism. Ionic functional groups of adsorbents like carboxyl, phosphonic and sulphonic acid groups remove adsorbates through ion-exchange, while those contai...