Presently, heavy metal pollution in natural water resources is considered very hazardous. The purpose of this research is to develop the novel cellulose-based ion exchange resins from water hyacinth and the effect of chelating agents on the removal of heavy metal cations from single-metal aqueous solutions has been investigated. Cellulose was prepared from the stem of water hyacinth by alkaline treatment process then cellulose-based ion exchange resins were prepared via esterification reaction between cellulose with two different chelating agents such as pyromellitic dianhydride and 3,3’,4,4’- benzophenone tetracarboxylic dianhydride. The chemical structure, crystallinity index, surface morphology, and thermal stability of resins were characterized and analyzed with FTIR, XRD, SEM, and TGA, respectively. The results confirmed the esterification reaction between anhydride groups of chelating agents with hydroxyl groups of celluloses due to the apparent peak of the ester group. Heavy metal cations adsorptions were studied in optimum conditions and the residual concentration of heavy metal cations was measured by ICP. These resins showed high adsorption capacities of more than 98 mg/g for Pb2+, Cd2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+. Moreover, the adsorption process was controlled by the ion exchange mechanism. Therefore, the novel cellulose-based ion exchange resins could be suitable for the removal of pollutants from wastewater.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.