Preparation and characterization of novel P(HEA/IA) hydrogels for Cd2+ ion removal from aqueous solution

•Hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and itaconic acid (P(HEA/IA)) were synthesized.•Cd2+ ion removal was investigated.•The surface and cross-section of hydrogels were observed by SEM and AFM.•The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of cadmium ions on the hydrogel were studied.•Approximately 95% of the adsorbed cadmium could be recovered by 0.1M HNO3 treatment. Series of novel hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) and itaconic acid (IA), P(HEA/IA) copolymers, were prepared by free radical cross-linking copolymerization and investigated as potential adsorbents for Cd2+ removal from aqueous solution. The hydrogels before and after Cd2+ adsorption were characterized using FTIR, DSC, SEM/EDX, AFM and DMA analysis. The swelling results showed that these hydrogels are pH and temperature sensitive. In order to evaluate adsorption behavior of samples various factors affecting the Cd2+ uptake behavior, such as: contact time, temperature, pH, ionic strength, adsorbent weight, competitive ions and initial concentration of the metal ions were investigated. Five adsorption isotherms and two kinetic models were studied. The adsorption behavior can be very well described by the pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm. Multicomponent adsorption studies revealed that adsorption of cadmium depends on the type of metal ions present in the system. Desorption studies showed that hydrogel can be reused three times with only 15% loss of adsorption capacity. All results indicate that the sample with the highest IA content is the most promising adsorbent for Cd2+ removal.