Separation, Preconcentration, and Recovery of Pd(II) Ions using Newly Modified Silica Gel with Bis(3-Aminopropyl)Amine

Bis(3-aminopropyl)amine bonded silica gel (BAPA-SG) was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis and FT-IR spectroscopy, and tested for adsorption, preconcentration, and recovery of Pd(II) ions. The effective parameters on the preconcentration of Pd(II) ions such as pH, volume, and flow rate of the Pd(II) solution, and the type and volume of eluent solution, and also matrix ions such as alkaline and heavy metals were investigated. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was used for the determination of Pd(II) concentration. The modified silica gel could adsorb Pd(II) ions quantitatively from the solutions up to 400 mL at pH 1.0 by the flow rate of 5 mL/min. The retained Pd(II) ions could be easily eluted by using 5 mL of 1% (m/v) thiourea in 1.0 M HCl solution. The recovery of Pd(II) ions was 95 +/- 2% at 95% confidence level. The analytical detection limit of Pd was found to be 0.36 mu g L-1 at the preconcentration factor of 80. Selective adsorption of Pd(II) ions over some base metal ions was also investigated. The developed method was applied to spent auto catalyst for palladium recovery, and a certified ore sample for the determination of palladium content.