Preparation and characterization of poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane-sulfonic acid)/Chitosan hydrogel using gamma irradiation and its application in wastewater treatment

Radiation grafting of chitosan with 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) has been successfully performed. The effect of absorbed dose (kGy) and the chitosan:AMPS ratio on graft hydrogelization was studied. The structure of the prepared hydrogel was confirmed using infrared spectroscopy (IR). Thermal properties were simultaneously studied by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The effect of the polymerization variables on the swelling % of the prepared hydrogel was investigated. The highest equilibrium degree of swelling (38.6g/g) and gel % (94.7%) of the prepared chitosan-AMPS hydrogel was at 40% AMPS and absorbed dose of 10 kGy. The removal of methylene blue, acid red dye, Cd (II) and Cr (III) from composed wastewater was also investigated. The effect of pH, the chitosan:AMPS ratio and the concentration of the pollutant on the adsorption process were studied. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.