Hydroxyapatite/Polyurethane Composite Membranes for Lead Ions Removal

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This work describes the preparation of a hydroxyapatite/polyurethane composite membrane and their characteristics.The porous hydroxyapatite/polyurethane composite membranes were made via solvent casting process.The deposited hydroxyapatite layers were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).The data suggest that the method utilized in this work can be applied to obtain deposition of coating of crystalline hydroxyapatite on porous polyurethane.The capacity of polyurethane/hydroxyapatite composite membranes for removal of lead ions from aqueous solution was investigated.Polyurethane/hydroxyapatite composite membrane has shown a certain ability to retain Pb 2+ ions from aqueous solutions.Polyurethane/hydroxyapatite composite membrane was effective in removing Pb 2+ ions from solutions with minimum of 80 % Pb removed.The effective removal of Pb from aqueous solution suggests that porous polyurethane/hydroxyapatite composite membranes have the potential to immobilize Pb 2+ ions in lead-contaminated wastes.