Anion exchange fibers for arsenate removal derived from a vinylbenzyl chloride precursor

The preparation of anionic exchange fibers (AEFs) is described utilizing an oligomer derived from vinylbenzyl chloride as the precursor coating on a glass fiber substrate. This approach permits a significant reduction in number of synthetic steps required for commercial beads, as well as eliminating the need for solvents prior to functionalization. The amination reaction time was also substantially reduced. These fibers were characterized through a variety of techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), analytical titration, and diffuse reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (DRIFTS) of the copolymer. With respect to ion exchange properties the fibers could be regenerated for over 20 cycles with no capacity loss or physical degradation of the coating. Particular emphasis was placed on establishing conditions for the removal of arsenate from water. The design and testing of AEF filters for breakthrough experiments were carried out and compared to commercially available beads. The results indicate that AEF have a significant kinetic advantage over the anionic exchange beads, which approaches an order of magnitude improvement in lowering effluent contaminants. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.