Application of Poly 3-methylthiophene for Removal of Silver Ion from Aqueous Solutions

This article deals with application of poly (3-methyl thiophene) synthesized chemically on the surface of wood sawdust (termed as P3MTh/SD) and then was used for removal of silver ions (Ag(+)) from aqueous solution. The polymer was synthesized directly on the surface of sawdust, which has previously soaked in monomer solution using ferric chloride as chemical oxidant. The sorption experiments were performed on both batch and column systems under simple open circuit conditions. The effects of some important parameters such as pH, initial concentration, sorbent dosage, and exposure time on uptake of silver ion were investigated. The treatment of the data was also carried out using both Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. To find out the possibility of the regeneration and reuse of the exhausted adsorbent, desorption studies were also performed. It was found that sawdust modified with polythiophene is an efficient system for uptake or recovery of the silver ions from aqueous solutions. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 113: 2293-2300, 2009