Selective boron extraction by polymer supported 2-hydroxylethylamino propylene glycol functions

Abstract

Abstract Boron sorption ability of polymer supported 2-hydroxyethylamino propylene glycol functions was investigated. 2-hydroxyethylamino propylene glycol was prepared by reaction of glycidol with excess ethanolamine in N-methyl, 2-pyrrolidone (NMP). This was reacted with terpolymer of glycidyl metacrylate (0.4 mol) with methyl metacrylate (0.5 mol) and divinylbenzene (0.1 mol) which was prepared in spherical beads form (210–422 μm) by suspension polymerization. The resulting terpolymer having hydroxyethylamino propylene glycol functions (1.82 mmol g−1) was found to be as efficient as previously reported iminodipropylene glycol functional resins in removal of trace boron from water. The resin showed a boron loading capacity of 1.6 mmol g−1. Nearly second-order kinetics, with respect to the boric acid (k = 1.65 mol l−1 s−1, with a correlation factor of 0.99129) was determined in non-buffered conditions. It was observed that, more than 95% of boron is extracted by this resin from very dilute H3BO3 solution (100 ppm initial concentration) in less than 30 min of contact time. Splitting of sorbed boron can be achieved by simple acid leaching (4 M HCl) and regenerated by NaOH (0.1 M) solution.