Heavy metal removal by N-acetylcysteine-functionalized cryogels

In the present work, N-acetylcysteine attached poly(acrylamide-co-methyl methacrylate) [poly(AAm-MMA)] cryogels were synthesized and used for removal of heavy metal ions (Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II)). For this, poly(AAm-MMA) cryogels were synthesized by free radical cryopolymerization technique and then, modified by N-acetylcysteine. Synthesized cryogel was characterized by FTIR, SEM and EDX analyses. Removed amounts of heavy metal were demonstrated by stripping voltammetry and the heavy metal removal efficiency was found to be 98.33 for Zn(II), 90.74 for Cd(II) and 96.19% for Pb(II). Additionally, this newly synthesized cryogel was successfully used for removal of heavy metals from environmental and biological media.