Polarographic determination of the competitive adsorption of U(VI), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions on poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone‐g‐citric acid) hydrogels

Poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone‐g‐citric acid) [P(VP‐g‐CA)] hydrogels were prepared for the removal of U(VI), Pb(II), and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions containing different amounts of these ions (2.5–10 mg/L). Different pHs (1–13), temperatures (20–40°C), and ionic strengths (0.5M) were also tried for the adsorption behavior of these ions. The competitive adsorption values of U(VI), Pb(II), and Cd(II) ions on pure poly(N‐vinyl‐2‐pyrrolidone) were low [0.71–2.03 mg of U(VI)/g of dry gel, 0.15–1.58 mg of Pb(II)/g of dry gel, and 0.10–0.68 mg of Cd(II)/g of dry gel]. The incorporation of citric acid significantly increased the adsorption of these ions [0.67–2.12 mg of U(VI)/g of dry gel, 0.44–1.88 mg of Pb(II)/g of dry gel, and 0.04–0.92 mg of Cd(II)/g of dry gel for P(VP‐g‐CA)‐1; 0.71–2.36 mg of U(VI)/g of dry gel, 0.60–2.16 mg of Pb(II)/g of dry gel, and 0.14–0.80 mg of Cd(II)/g of dry gel for P(VP‐g‐CA)‐2; and 0.79–2.47 mg of U(VI)/g of dry gel, 0.70–2.30 mg of Pb(II)/g of dry gel, and 0.20–0.86 mg of Cd(II)/g of dry gel for P(VP‐g‐CA)‐3]. The observed affinity order of adsorption was U(VI) > Pb(II) > Cd(II) for competitive conditions. The optimal pH range for the removal of these ions was 5–9. Competitive adsorption studies showed that other stimuli, such as the temperature and ionic strength of the solution, also influenced the U(VI), Pb(II), and Cd(II) adsorption capacity of P(VP‐g‐CA) hydrogels.