Novel Hierarchically Porous Melamine-Vanillin Polymer: Synthesis and Application for the Pb(II) Ion Removal in Wastewater

Water pollution due to heavy metal ions from factories causes serious threats as the heavy metal ions are inclined to accumulate in living systems threat ening their health. Adsorption is considered one of the most promising wastewater purification techniques for its simple operation and high effectiveness compared with other techniques. Accordingly, a novel cost-effective and environmentally benign porous melamine-vanillin polymer (MVP) was synthesized via Schiff-base formation reaction, which was utilized for the removal of Pb(II) ions. The MVP achieved a high surface area of 745 m2 g-1 with a hierarchically porous structure consisting of 1 nm and 3–50 nm pores. Effects of the contact time and the initial heavy metal concentration on the adsorption of Pb(II) were studied. Due to the copious functional groups and the hierarchical pore size distribution, MVP was found to exhibit a good adsorption performance toward Pb(II) ions. The adsorption process was well-fitted to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the pseudo-1st-order kinetic model. Open image in new window