Preparation, Characterization and Utilization of Polyacrylamid-Kaolin Composite in the Removal of Nickel Ions From Water

Abstract

A composite material of polymeric matrix Polyacrylamid (PAM) that is reinforced by a certified clay mineral of the Iraqi kaolinite at several weight ratios (10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%) was prepared by mixing the polymer water solution with the clay followed by hand molding method. Some of the mechanical properties of the prepared composite such as tensile strength, impact and hardness Shore A were studied to improve the mechanical capability to be as a sorbent for the removal of heavy metals from water.The results showed an improvement in the mechanical properties as the kaolin content was increased. The powdered material was evaluated as a sorbent for nickel ions from aqueous solution using batch conditions. Experimental design (Box- Wilson) system was applied to determine the optimum working conditions such as composite amount, pH and contact time. Results proved reasonable adsorption efficiency and relatively high adsorption capacity of the composite towards the Ni ions removal of from water. The optimum conditions were sorbent amount of 10.0 g/l, pH = 7, and contact time of 100 min.

Keywords

• kaolin-polyacrylamide composite, nickel adsorption, experimental design
• optimization, adsorption (efficiency and capacity)