Synthesis of highly water-dispersible adsorbent derived from alkali-modified hyper-cross-linked polymer for efficient removal of various organic contaminants and ammonia

Abstract A novel highly water-dispersible polymer-based adsorbent (HCP-BPA-Na) was synthesized by using bisphenol A (BPA) containing polar functional group as raw material via cross-linking reaction, and subsequently treated with alkali solution. Owing to its abundant oxygen groups, HCP-BPA-Na displays large uptake capacity 645.16 and 268.09 mg g−1, and fast adsorption rates 5.92 × 10-3 and 9.90 × 10-3 g mg−1 min−1for methylene blue (MB) and tetracycline (TC), respectively. Besides, it's NH3 uptake capacity can reach 7.2 mmol g-1 at 298 K and1 bar. The removal mechanism for MB and TC was primarily caused by electrostatic attraction and ion exchange, and for the uptake of NH3 was mainly attributed to the high affinity between the basic NH3 molecule and acidic sites of the HCP-BPA-Na. Additionally, HCP-BPA-Na possesses the higher adsorption performance for MB and TC in real wastewater because of the promotion effect of dissolved organic matter and exhibited excellent adsorption ability towards MB and MO due to the synergistic enhanced effects of multi-mechanisms in binary (MB/MO) dye solutions. This study introduces a green and simple strategy for designing an oxygen-rich functional adsorbent with versatile adsorption properties, high efficiency and fast rate, which can be applied as a promising sorbent to eliminate water-soluble contaminants from the real wastewater and ammonia in the air.