Selective Sorption of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using m-Cresol Based Chelating Resin and Its Analytical Applications

Salicylic acid-Formaldehyde-m-Cresol (SFM) terpolymer had been synthesized in DMF media by conventional method. The resulting resin had been characterized by FTIR spectra, elemental and thermogravimetric analyses. The morphology of SFM resin had been studied by SEM and Optical photograph. Various parameters like rate of equilibration, effect of pH on ion exchange capacity and effect of concentration on ion exchange capacity had been studied. The maximum sorption capacities at 0.05M concentration for Ni(II) and Cu(II) were 0.7905 (pH-6.0) and 0.6315 (pH-5.5) mmol/g of dry resin respectively. The distribution coefficient (Kd) for five metal ions [Ni(II), Cu(II), Zn(II), Cd(II) and Pb(II)] were determined in various concentration of tartaric acid electrolyte at different pH. The quantitative separations of heavy metal ions and transition metal ions from their admixtures [Cu(II)- Pb(II), Pb(II)- Zn(II), Ni(II)- Cd(II)] had been performed by using distribution coefficient (Kd).