Continuous separation of copper ions from a mixture of heavy metal ions using a three-zone carousel process packed with metal ion-imprinted polymer

Abstract

In this study a three-zone carousel process based on a proper molecular imprinted polymer (MIP) resin was developed for continuous separation of Cu2+ from Mn2+ and Co2+ For this task the Cu (II)-imprinted polymer (Cu-MIP) resin was synthesized first and used to pack the chromatographic columns of a three-zone carousel process Prior to the experiment of the carousel process based on the Cu-MIP resin (MIP-carousel process) a series of single-column experiments were performed to estimate the intrinsic parameters of the three heavy metal ions and to find out the appropriate conditions of regeneration and re-equilibration The results from these single-column experiments and the additional computer simulations were then used for determination of the operating parameters of the MIP-carousel process under consideration Based on the determined operating parameters the MIP-carousel experiments were carried out It was confirmed from the experimental results that the proposed MIP-carousel process was markedly effective in separating Cu2+ from Mn2+ and Co2+ in a continuous mode with high purity and a relatively small loss Thus the MIP-carousel process developed in this study deserves sufficient attention in materials processing industries or metal-related industries where the selective separation of heavy metal ions with the same charge has been a major concern