Fabrication and optimization of poly(ortho-aminophenol) doped glycerol for efficient removal of cobalt ion from wastewater

Abstract Remediation of water pollution has been a crucial step in the environmental engineering processes. In the past decades, the adsorption technique was commonly used for the removal of heavy metals in water. Owing to the unique properties of polymer-based composites, a new nanocomposite, poly-ortho aminophenol and glycerol (P(oAP)/G), has attracted great attention in this field. Different parameters were studied to optimize the preparation of P(oAP)/G such as temperature, reaction time, and the concentration of monomer and initiator. As well as the structure of P(oAP)/G and chemical characterization was examined using various modalities. The fabricated nanocomposite had an urchin-like the shape of 3–5 μm in diameter, 16–18 nm in thickness of dendritic fibers, and a high surface area of 77.13 m2/g as well. Interestingly, the P(oAP)/G efficiency for Co2+ ions removal reached 96%, with an adsorption capacity of 117.9 mg/g, suggesting a higher capacity for water treatment. Further, cobalt ion adsorption followed the pseudo-second kinetic model and Temkin isotherm model. One can summarize that the P(oAP)/G is a good candidate for adsorption of metal ions which can be further studied on a large experimental scale in water purification processes.