Cyanide detoxification by selective ion exchange with protonated poly(4‐vinyl pyridine)

In order to explore the possibility of using cross-linked poly(4-vinyl pyridine), PVP, for selective removal of cyanide in waste water by complexation of the cyanide with ferrous ion followed by ion exchange, the sorption behaviour of the anionic ferrocyanide complex (Fe(CN)64-) on the resin operating in an acid salt form has been studied. The results are compared with those obtained on a conventional gel-type weak base resin, Amberlite IRA-68. The ferrocyanide complex is selectively sorbed in preference to other common ions and is readily stripped with dilute sodium hydroxide. PVP has a high sorption capacity, fast sorption kinetics and a rapid rate of regeneration, being much superior to Amberlite IRA-68 in all these respects. The sorption rate is film-diffusion controlled at low solution concentrations ( 0.8 mmol dm−3). Lowering pH to ∼ 1 increases the sorption of Fe(CN)64− on to protonated PVP by 75% over that at pH 7, a phenomenon explained by the formation of protonated ferrocyanide species, HFe(CN)63- and H2Fe(CN)62-. From column operations with 156 mg dm−3 cyanide waste stream a capacity of 73 mg CN− g−1 of protonated PVP to 1 mg dm−3 breakthrough is determined, compared to 60 mg CN− g−1 of protonated IRA-68.