Adsorption of copper(II) and chromium(III) ions onto amidoximated cellulose

Chemical modification of cellulose powder is performed by successive reacti ons with acrylonitrile in an alkaline medium followed by aqueous hydroxylam ine to prepare amidoximated cellulose. Due to complexation, the amidoxime g roups immobilize heavy cations from buffered solutions at various pH values . The capacity of adsorption for Cu(II) and Cr(III) ions is related to the amount of amidoxime groups in the support and to the metal concentration of the polluted solution. The formation of a 1/1 complex is proved by the ads orption limit values. Desorption of the cations is possible by treatment wi th a stronger complexing agent such as ethylenediaminetetracetic acid. (C) 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.