Resorcinol modified hypercrosslinked poly(styrene-co-divinlybenzene) resin and its adsorption equilibriums, kinetics and dynamics towards p-hydroxylbenzaldehyde from aqueous solution

A series of resorcinol modified hypercrosslinked poly(styrene-co-divinlybenzene) (PS) resins, named as HJ-H00, HJ-H02, HJ-H05, HJ-H10 and HJ-H15, were synthesized from macroporous cross-linked chloromethylated PS by adding 0%, 2%, 5%, 10% and 15% of resorcinol in the Friedel–Crafts reaction, and these resins were characterized and evaluated for adsorption of p-hydroxylbenzaldehyde from aqueous solution. The characterization indicated that these resins possessed different chemical structure and pore structure, indicative of their adsorption selectivity. HJ-H02 had the largest adsorption capacity towards p-hydroxylbenzaldehyde among the five resins and the mechanism was a combination of hydrogen bonding, micropore filling, capillary condensation and π–π stacking. Freundlich equation was suitable for fitting the equilibrium data and the isosteric adsorption enthalpies were applied to describe the surface energy heterogeneity of the resin. The pseudo-second-order rate equation-I was appropriate for the kinetic data and Thomas model was suitable for the dynamic data. The dynamic adsorption capacity was calculated to be 225.5 mg/g dry resin, very close to the equilibrium capacity of 241.4 mg/g and the resin column could be desorbed by 60 mL of 1% of sodium hydroxide and 75% of ethanol completely.

► Novel carbonyl and hydroxyl groups modified hypercrosslinked resins were synthesized.
► These resins possessed different adsorption selectivity.
► Surface energy heterogeneity of the resin could be described by Do’s model.
► The dynamics matched the equilibrium and kinetics very well.
► The dynamic data could be described by Thomas model.