Synthesis and characterization of magnetic poly (Acrylamide-co-maleic anhydride) grafted gelatin as a novel heavy metal ions wastewater treatment agent

Abstract

Heavy metal pollution of water poses a severe threat to the environment and public health. In this research, a novel heavy metal ions wastewater treatment agent, magnetic (acrylamide-co-maleic anhydride) grafted gelatin [magnetic poly (AM-co-MA)-g-gelatin], was synthesized using aqueous solution polymerization. Factors affecting Cr3+ removal efficiency, including the amount of gelatin, Fe3O4 and citric acid, were optimized by orthogonal experiments to gain the optimum synthesis condition. The obtained magnetic composite was characterized by FTIR, TEM, XPS and SQUID, which showed a core/shell structure and good magnetic properties. The experimental results showed that the removal process was rapid and completed within 10 min. The residual concentration of Cr3+ in the solution decreased from 30 mg·L–1 to 1.3 mg·L–1 under the optimum condition. The magnetic composite significantly improves the removal efficiency of the Cr3+ by comparison with the conventional flocculants. The intensified removal performance can be due to the good magnetic separability. Therefore, the magnetic poly (AM-co-MA)-g-gelatin is a promising treatment agent for Cr3+-contam-inated water.