Synthesis and characterization of poly(maleic acid)-grafted crosslinked chitosan nanomaterial with high uptake and selectivity for Hg(II) sorption

Chitosan-poly(maleic acid) nanomaterial (PMACS) with the size of 400-900 nm was synthesized by grafting poly(maleic acid) onto chitosan and then crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The synthesis conditions were optimized. The structure and morphology of PMACS were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TGA. PMACS was used to adsorb some heavy metal ions such as Hg(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), Cd(II), Co(II), and Zn(II). The results indicated that PMACS had selectivity for Hg(II) sorption. The effects of various variables for sorption of Hg(II) were further explored. The maximum capacity for Hg(II) sorption was found to be 1044 mg g−1 at pH 6.0, which could compare with the maximal value of the recently reported other sorbents. The sorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isotherm models. The rising of temperature benefited the uptake and the sorption was a spontaneous chemical process. The sorbent could be reused with EDTA. Hence, the nanomaterial would be used as a selective and high uptake sorbent in the removal of Hg(II) from effluents.