Sulfur-containing adsorbent made by inverse vulcanization of sulfur/ oleylamine/potato starch for efficient removal of Hg(II) ions

Mercury contamination is considered the most harmful pollutant considering its high toxicity and persistence in the environment. This study aims to design an efficient and inexpensive adsorbent to capture Hg(II) ions. Herein, a polysulfide complex material was prepared through sulfur, oleylamine, and potato starch. Initially, the potato starch was functionalized by using dimethyl sulfoxide and (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane. The polysulfide adsorbent was then created by copolymerizing sulfur with oleylamine and sulfhydrylation starch using the inverse vulcanization process. The composition, structure, and morphology of polysulfide adsorbent were characterized by SEM/EDS, FT-IR, TGA, and XRD. The results indicated that the adsorption capacity and removal of adsorbent reached 248.2 mg/g and 99.28%. The adsorption data were fitted with adsorption kinetics, isothermal adsorption model and adsorption thermodynamics, followed by an analysis of the possible adsorption mechanism of the adsorbent. Meanwhile, it exhibited high selectivity for Hg(II) ions and other co-existing ions, with favorable recyclability after 5 rounds of recycling. In general, a promising polysulfide for the treatment of Hg(II)containing wastewater is reported in this study, moreover, opening a novel avenue for elemental sulfur applications.

Automated summary

This study aims to design an efficient and inexpensive adsorbent to capture Hg(II) ions. A polysulfide complex material was prepared through sulfur, oleylamine, and potato starch. The adsorbent showed high adsorption capacity and removal, as well as selectivity for Hg(II) ions and recyclability.