Water-insoluble copolymer based on N-methyl-D-glucamine and quaternary ammonium groups with capability to remove arsenic

The synthesis and sorption performance of As(V) with a copolymer resin is presented. The resin was obtained via the radical polymerization of a 1:1 mixture of N-(4-vinyl benzyl)-N-methyl-D-glucamine and (4-vinyl benzyl)trimethyl ammonium chloride using N,N-methylene-bis-acrylamide as the crosslinker. The effect of pH, concentration, and time on the arsenic sorption was studied. The copolymer exhibited good performance over a wide pH range regardless of the initial concentrations. The equilibrium experiments presented better results under alkaline conditions (pH 9.0) compared with acidic conditions (pH 3.0). The kinetic sorption was quite fast, particularly at low arsenic concentrations. In addition, the arsenic anions were eluted with different acid/ alkaline reagents, and the acid eluents exhibited the best results. © 2013 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.