Preparation and characterization of magnetically active dual-zone sorbent

The present study reports the preparation and performance evaluation of a new class of hybrid sorbent that is, (i) magnetically active, (ii) selective toward a wide array of target inorganic and organic environmental contaminants, and (iii) amenable to efficient regeneration and reuse. The preparation of this material is operationally simple and involves partial sulfonation of a widely available polymeric material, followed by dispersion of iron oxide nanoparticles within the polymer phase using a simple chemical -thermal technique developed earlier. Experimental results show that the new sorbent material, referred to as dual-zone sorbent (DZS), can remove arsenites or As(III); arsenates or As(V); copper(II); and dichlorophenol, a synthetic organic compound, simultaneously in addition to being magnetically active. These new hybrid particles exhibit complementary attributes that are not present in currently available commercial polymeric or inorganic ion exchangers. The newly developed polymeric-inorganic material can be used as a passive monitoring agent for the detection of a diverse group of environmental contaminants.