Water-soluble polymeric materials with the ability to bind metal ions

Water-soluble polymers containing carboxylic acid, phosphonic acid, and sulfonic acid groups were investigated as polychelatogens by means of the liquid phase polymer-based retention technique, LPR, under different experimental conditions. The retention profiles were determined and the maximum retention capacity (MRC) of these polymers was determined at different pH and polymer-metal ion ratio. The metal ions investigated were: Ag(I), Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cr(III). An important effect of the pH and the ligand type was observed on the metal ion retention. The MRC values of the divalent metal ions were very similar and higher than that for the trivalent cation, indicating that the polymer-metal ion interaction was basically of an electrostatic type.