Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-hydroxyapatite) a Novel Composite for the Removal of Lead(II) from Aqueous Solutions

In the present study, a novel adsorbent, poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate-hydroxyapatite) [P(HEMA-Hap)], was prepared and characterized. The synthesis was achieved by means of free-radical polymerization and a number of structural characterization methods, including FT-IR, XRD, TGA, SEM, BET-porosity, and swelling tests. Pb2+ adsorption was performed using a series of pH, time, and temperature ranges. The reusability of the composite was also tested. The results obtained indicated that the novel adsorbent is able to bind Pb2+ ions with strong chemical affinity. The adsorption results were fitted to the classic Langmuir, Freundlich, and DubininRadushkevich (DR) sorption models. Thermodynamic parameters obtained demonstrated that the sorption process was spontaneous (?G?<?0), endothermic (?H?>?0), as expected. The process was also consistent with the pseudo-second-order model, and chemical adsorption was determined to be the rate-controlling step. It was also shown that the composite could be used for five consecutive adsorption processes.