Boron removal from RO permeate of geothermal water by monodisperse poly(vinylbenzyl chloride-co-divinylbenzene) beads containing N-methyl-d-glucamine

Novel boron selective chelating resins were synthesized using monodisperse porous poly(VBC-co-DVB) beads by further functionalization with N-methyl-d-glucamine (NMDG) groups. The performance of the resins for boron removal from geothermal water and its reverse osmosis (RO) permeate has been studied using a batch sorption method. It was possible to remove about 93% of boron from geothermal water containing 11.0mg B/L with 4g/L of monodisperse functionalized polymer beads. The respective value for RO permeate of geothermal water with 4.8–5.4mg B/L of concentration was 97% with the same amount of chelating resin. The sorption rate of boron was quite rapid. A sorption equilibrium was reached in 20min for geothermal water and in 10min for RO permeate. The kinetic data obtained were evaluated using classical kinetic models and diffusion/reaction models. It was concluded that monodisperse chelating resins obeyed pseudo-second order kinetic model. Also, the rate controlling step of boron sorption was mostly particle diffusion along with chemical reaction. •Synthesis of novel monodisperse polymer resins for boron uptake•Boron removal from RO permeate of geothermal water•Novel monodisperse chelating resins exhibited a fast kinetic for boron sorption.•Product water is in compliance with irrigation water standards for boron.