Removal of metal ions from Bío Bío river water by liquid-phase polymer-based retention technique

Abstract

Water-soluble poly(2-acrylamidoglycolic acid) (PAAG) was synthesized by radical polymerization and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and potentiometric titration. Subsequently, this polymer was used as extracting reagent of metal ions using LPR technique, through washing and enrichment methods. By the washing method, the selective retention (100 %) of Al3+ was obtained at pH 2.36. The removal of monovalent and divalent ions was maximum for all the metal ions at pH 5. The maximum retention capacity of some metal ions by PAAG was studied by enrichment method using water of Bío Bío river containing metal ions. The higher retention percentage for Al3+ ion indicates that PAAG could be used as an extracting reagent for Al3+ ions from Bío Bío river samples.