Copper(II) ions removal from model galvanic wastewater by green one-pot synthesised amino-hypophosphite polyampholyte

The amino-hypophosphite polyampholyte (AHP) obtained from cheap and safe building blocks lacks a typical ion-scavenger matrix derived from crude-oil intermediates like poly(divinylbenzene), which is an advantage to commercial solutions. AHP is characterised by sorption capacity comparable to some ion scavengers available on the market, as it was found that its maximum capacity in the temperature range from 298 K to 328 K varies between 114 and 146 mg Cu(II) g(-1) of dry AHP. The possible application of the AHP in the Cu(II) removal process from galvanic effluent was investigated. The results show that it is possible to achieve a good removal rate for model wastewater. The inlet Cu2+ concentrations of model wastewater were 6.4 mg Cu(II) dm(-3) and 36,2 mg Cu(II) dm(-3), acidic and basic galvanic wastewater respectively. After the removal process concentrations were lowered to 1.3 mg Cu(II) dm(-3) and 5.1 mg Cu(II) dm(-3), for acidic and basic galvanic wastewater respectively. It was found that the presence of Ca(II) and Na(I) did not significantly influence the Cu(II) removal process. The obtained results indicate that the prepared more environmentally safe ion scavenger can be applicable in a wide range of metal ion removal processes.

Automated summary

This study found that the amino-hypophosphite polyampholyte (AHP) obtained from cheap and safe building blocks has a comparable sorption capacity to some ion scavengers available on the market. It was demonstrated that AHP can effectively remove Cu(II) from both acidic and basic galvanic wastewater, reducing the Cu(II) concentration significantly. The presence of Ca(II) and Na(I) did not have a significant influence on the removal process.