Synthesis of sulfonated polystyrene sphere based magnesium silicate and its selective removal for bisphenol A

In this work, a sulfonated polystyrene sphere (SPS) based magnesium silicate nanocomposite (SPS@MgSix) with superior adsorption capability has been prepared for the removal of BPA, a kind of emerging pollution existed in various wastewaters. It was obtained by in situ growth of the Talc-phase Mg3Si4O9(OH)(10) (MgSi) on the surface of SPS, in which the SPS substrate can effectively avoid the agglomeration of MgSi. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) has shown that interwoven nano-sized MgSi uniformly distributes on the surface of SPS, leading to a high adsorption capacity (Q(0): 357.14 mg L-1) for removing bisphenol A (BPA). It is worth noting that these composite materials also exhibit relative good adsorption capability even under high-concentration salt conditions, for example, the adsorption capacity still keeps at about 331.14 mg g(-1) in the presence of high concentration Na+ or Ca2+. The Zeta potential tests indicate that the high adsorption capacity may be related to an electrostatic interaction between SPS@MgSix and BPA. The excellent adsorption behaviors of SPS@MgSix show that it is a highly promising candidate for removing BPA in aqueous solution.