Polyphenylene sulfide based anion exchange fiber: Synthesis, characterization and adsorption of Cr(VI)

A fibrous strong base anion exchanger (QAPPS) was prepared for the first time via chloromethylation and quaternary amination reaction of polyphenylene sulfide fiber (PPS), and its physical-chemical structure and adsorption behavior for Cr(VI) were characterized by FT-IR, Energy Dispersive Spectrometry, TG-DTG, elemental analysis and batch adsorptive technique, respectively. The novel fibrous adsorbent could effectively adsorb Cr(VI) over the pH range 1-12, the maximum adsorption capacity was 166.39 mg/g at pH 3.5, and the adsorption behavior could be described well by Langmuir isotherm equation model. The adsorption kinetics was studied using pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order models, and the t_1/2 and equilibrium adsorption time were 5 and 20 min respectively when initial Cr(VI) concentration was 100 mg/L. The saturated fibers could be regenerated rapidly by a mixed solution of 0.5 mol/L NaOH and 0.5 mol/L NaCl, and the adsorption capacity was well maintained after six adsorption-desorption cycles.