Synthesis an‎d Characterization of Cation Exchange Nanocomposite an‎d its Application in the Removal of Heavy Metal Ions

8/5/2026 12:00:00 AM

Water sources are hazardous to human health an‎d the environment due to heavy metals. In this study, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was sulfonated using sulfuric acid under controlled conditions to produce an effective ion exchange material. The sulfonation reaction was carried out at temperatures of 60, 100, an‎d 140 °C, for durations of 45 minutes, 2 hours, an‎d 4 hours, with acid-to-polymer ratios of 5 an‎d 10. The success of the sulfonation process was confirmed through FTIR, H-NMR, TGA, ICP-MS, an‎d contact angle analysis. The optimal synthesis conditions were determined to be a temperature of 140 °C, a reaction time of 4 hours, an‎d an acid-to-polymer ratio of 10. To enhance the ion exchange capacity of the resin, clinoptilolite nanoparticles were incorporated into the polymer matrix at four different weight percentages (0.5, 1, 1.5, an‎d 2%). Batch an‎d column experiments were conducted to eva‎luate the performance of the synthesized resin in the removal of lead ions from aqueous solutions. Atomic absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the concentration of lead ions in the solution. Batch results indicated a maximum lead ion exchange efficiency of 84% after 5 hours of contact time. The optimal pH range for the process was found to be between 5 an‎d 7. Furthermore, at lower initial lead concentrations (25 ppm), the removal efficiency reached a maximum of 95%, while higher initial concentrations led to a decrease in adsorption performance. In column studies, increasing the bed height to 10 cm enhanced lead ion removal to 98% for the commercial resin an‎d 81% for the sulfonated polymer. The maximum ion exchange capacity of the sulfonated resin was found to be 1.84 meq/g. Incorporating clinoptilolite nanoparticles significantly improved the ion exchange performance, with the resin containing 2 wt% nanoparticles achieving the highest ion exchange capacity of 2.33 meq/g an‎d a lead removal efficiency of 96.7%. Kinetic studies revealed that the pseudo-second-order model best described the experimental data, indicating that chemisorption was the dominant mechanism. Isotherm analysis showed that the adsorption followed the Langmuir model, suggesting monolayer adsorption with uniform energy distribution. Overall, the findings confirm the effectiveness of the sulfonated polymer in lead ion removal an‎d highlight its potential application in water treatment systems.

رزين تبادل يون , پلي‌وينيليدن‌فلورايد , نانوذرات كلينوپتيلوليت , سولفوناسيون , يون سرب , تصفيه آب

Ion Exchange Resin , Polyvinylidene Fluoride , Clinoptilolite Nanoparticles , Sulfonation , Lead Ion , Water Treatment

Amirali Masoumi

S.N. Ashrafizadeh - Hassan Farrokhzad