Muhamad Allan Serunting, Muhammad Ali Zulfikar, Nurrahmi Handayani, Aria Pinandita, Henry Setiyanto
The current study successfully synthesized a novel mercury ion imprinted polymer (IIP-Hg) microparticles using a precipitation polymerization approach. The synthesis involved 4-vinyl pyridine as the functional monomer and ligan complex, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the crosslinker, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as the radical initiator, and ethanol as the green porogen. The adsorption performance of Hg(II) ions was investigated through batch and solid phase extraction methods. The optimization of adsorption conditions included variables such as pH, contact time, dosage, Hg(II) initial concentration, and temperature. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms were found to follow pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively. The result showed that IIP-Hg had an enhanced adsorption capacity (41.32 mg g−1) than the non-imprinted polymer (NIP) (23.31 mg g−1), with a high imprinting factor (α) of 1.77. The thermodynamic adsorption was spontaneous, exothermic, and increased randomness. The selectivity of IIP-Hg was evaluated to show good performance against other metal ions, including Cu(II), Pb (II), and Cd(II). Additionally, the IIP-Hg exhibited good removal of Hg(II). It removed 99.05 % (RSD = 0.56, n = 3) of Hg(II) effluent wastewater from illegal gold mining. The IIP-Hg also exhibited good reusability. The IIP-Hg has great potential for separation, preconcentration, and selective adsorption for Hg(II). © 2025 The Authors
Analytical Chemistry Research Group, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jl. Ganesha 10, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung, 35365, Indonesia; Research Center for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, Gd. CAS (Center for Advanced Sciences), Lt 1-3, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia