Preparation of crosslinked polystyrene-supported ethylenediamine via a S-containing spacer and adsorption properties towards metal ions

Two novel chelating resins were prepared by anchoring ethylenediamine to crosslinked polystyrene via a spacer containing sulfide. Their structures were characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectra (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Porous structure parameters of the resins were measured by ASAP 2020 using BET and BJH methods. Their adsorption capacities for several heavy metal ions especially Hg2+ were investigated. The results showed that for the two resins, the more N contents did not mean the better adsorption capacity and the saturated adsorption capacity of poly(2-ethylenediamidomercaptomethylstyrene) (PSM-EDA) for Hg2+ could reach to 3.0 mmol/g at room temperature. Isothermal adsorptions of the resins for Hg2+ could be described by Langmuir formula. The adsorption mechanism of the resins for Hg2+, Cu2+ and Ag+ was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and FTIR.