Preparation, characterization and application of NaHCO3 leached bulk U(VI) imprinted polymers endowed with γ-MPS coated magnetite in contaminated water

A new type of ion imprinted polymer (IIP) embedded with γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (γ-MPS) coated magnetic particles for selective extraction of uranyl ions was synthesized by bulk polymerization. The performance of the magnetic sorbent on the extraction of U(VI) was evaluated by various parameters which included the influence of pH, amount of the magnetic polymers, contact time and initial U(VI) concentration. The adsorption capacity of the magnetic polymers was found to be 1.1 and 0.95 mg g−1 for the IIP and its control ion non-imprinted polymer (NIP), respectively. The optimum amount of the sorbent was 50 mg for an initial concentration of 2.5 mg L−1. The prepared magnetic imprinted sorbent displayed an uptake with a time of 45 min considered optimum. The magnetic polymer displayed good selectivity and exhibited good reusability. Studies from binary mixtures of metal ions in aqueous solutions showed that the magnetic adsorbent selectivity following the order: U(VI) > Ni(II) > Pb(II). Experimental results illustrated the potential application of magnetic ion imprinted polymer sorbents for selective removal of U(VI) from contaminated water.