Studies on Selective Uptake Behavior of Hg(II) and Pb(II) by Functionalized Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Fiber with 4-Vinyl Pyridine/2-Hydroxyethylmethacrylate

The adsorption behavior of 4-vinyl pyridine and 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate grafted poly(ethylene terephthalate) fiber toward the Hg(II) and Pb(II) ions in aqueous solutions was studied by a batch equilibration technique. The influence of the treatment time was considered as well as the pH of the solution, the initial metal ions concentration, the graft yield, and the temperature. Such parameters as the adsorption kinetics, the adsorption isotherm, and the desorption time were further studied. Maximum adsorption occurred at pH 3 and pH 6 for Hg(II) and Pb(II), respectively. The adsorption kinetics followed the mechanism of the pseudo-second-order equation for heavy metal ions. The adsorption data is a good fit with Freundlich isotherm. Desorption studies indicated that the maximum percent recovery of Hg(II) and Pb(II) was 93.4% and 76.3%, respectively with 1 M HNO₃.