Modification of Copper (II) Ion-exchange Properties of Freestanding Alginate Membrane by Embedding with Zeolite

Abstract

Insolubilized alginate membranes were obtained by crosslinking alginate with calcium ions, and alginate membranes embedded with zeolite in order to improve their ion exchange capacities were also successfully prepared. The alginate membranes were ion exchangeable due to the release of crosslinking ions, and showed an ion exchange capability for copper (II) ions that was comparable to that for alginate hydrogel beads. Additionally, while both the insolubilized alginate membranes and the zeolite-embedded membrane exhibited ion-exchange abilities, additional ion-exchange capacities was imparted by embedding zeolite in the latter. However, it was also found that embedding partially inhibits the ion-exchange capacities of the zeolite contained therein.