Abstract:

In this study, a green chemistry approached was employed in the preparation of Hyphaene thebaica fiber grafted polyacrylic acid via microwave assisted method using potassium persulfate as chemical initiator. The optimum percentage grafting 92% was achieved under 5g concentration of acrylic acid, 0.2g concentration of potassium persulfate (KPS) and 2 minutes reaction time.  The grafted sample was characterized using the following techniques, FTIR, SEM and XRD. The prepared graft copolymer was examined for adsorption of Pb (II) ions from aqueous solution in batch mode systems. The adsorption parameters such as pH, initial metal ion concentration and contact time were also studied. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were applied to simulate the equilibrium adsorption experimental data. The Langmuir model fitted well with experimental data with maximum adsorption capacity (qmax) of 20.37 mg/g at 45 minutes. Higher regression coefficient obtained confirmed the suitability of the Langmuir isotherm model which assumed monolayer coverage on the adsorbent surface. The adsorption studies revealed the efficacy of the grafted fiber for removal of Pb (II) ions from dilute aqueous solutions.

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