Preparation, Characterization, and Rapid Adsorption of Hg super(2+) on Nanoscale Aramid-based Adsorbent

A series of nanaoscale aramid-based adsorbents were prepared by the functionalization of poly (p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) with different content of ethylenediamine (EDA). Their structures were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and elemental analysis. Metal ions, including Hg super(2+), Pb super(2+), Ag super(+), Cu super(2+), Cd super(2+), and Ni super(2+) were chosen as the models to explore the binding behaviors of PPTA-ECH-EDA in aqueous medium. Results showed that PPTA-ECH-EDA exhibited higher adsorption capacity for Hg super(2+) due to their nanoscale structures. In particular, the adsorption rate was so high that equilibrium was achieved within 15 min for Hg super(2+). The adsorption of Hg super(2+) on PPTA-ECH-EDA followed the pseudo second-order model well. Langmuir and Freundlich models were employed to fit the isothermal adsorption, and the results revealed that Freundlich isotherm was a better model to predict the experimental data. The adsorption mechanism was revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is preconceived that PPTA-ECH-EDA could be used as an effective adsorbent for fast removal of heavy ions from wastewater.