Heavy metal removal by ion exchanger based on hydroxyethyl cellulose

In the present work, ion exchange resin based on hydroxyethyl cellulose has been synthesized to remove the heavy metals, such as iron, cobalt, copper, and zinc from their aqueous solutions. The conditions in the column and ba tch modes were investigated for this purpose. The resin, having an average swelling percentage of 75.94 and an exchange capacity of 2.57 meq g(-1) res in, is being introduced as a new ion exchange resin in the heavy metal remo val process. An investigation of the column operations using aqueous soluti ons of heavy metal ions indicated that the resin prepared has some advantag es, including high total exchange capacity and good chemical stability. (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.