Recovery of polifunctional resins for water purification

adsorption studies with methylene blue and metyhl orange

Abstract

The ion-exchange resins are mainly constituted by synthetic organic polimers, with reticulated structure which form porous granules with ion charges. This charges are neutralized by their counterions available in solution, which are exchangeable, leading to a charge exchange process. The resins are very used in water deionizers, which have acid and basics groups in its structure, changeable by the cations and anions contaminants that are disposed in a resin and ions dynamic, in a process called demineralization. The comparative tests proposed to evaluate the recovery efficiency of polyfunctional resin was the conductivity test and the adsorptive capacity of the methylene blue (MB) and methyl orange (MO) dye. The conductivity obtained in the recovered resins was 0,880 μS cm^-1, the value contained in the band ideal for deionized water (0,5-3,0 μS cm^-1). Compared to the commercial resin, the recovered one presented a superior adsorptive capacity; the anionic recovered resin (R-) adsorb 22% more than the anionic commercial (C-). Regarding the adsorption capacity of the cationic recovered resin (R+) and the cationic commercial (C+), both are practically alike. Applying the adsorption mathematical models, it was found that the recovery process applied did not modify the adsorption pattern (remaining homogenic, Langmuir), while in the C+ and R+ resin there were modification in the adsorption pattern, from homogeneous to heterogeneous (Freundlich), respectively. The FTIR tests showed the recovery modifies the morphology of the resin, but not its chemical structure.