Adsorption of Mercury by Polyaniline/Polyvinyl Alcohol in an Aqueous Environment

In this study, polyaniline (PANi) was chemically synthesized with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form PANi/PVA composites. Then, the composite was employed for adsorption of mercury from aqueous environment and a thorough comparison of PANi/PVA and PANi composites was made by conducting various experiments in different pH values, initial mercury concentrations, and contact time. The adsorption isotherms were also provided, and the effect of various water constituents was investigated. The results showed that both composites are considerably effective on removing mercury from aqueous environment. PANi and PANi/PVA removed around 92.7 and 90% of mercury at pH of 6. The solution pH also played an important role on adsorption efficiency, the optimum pH for the adsorption of mercury by PANi and PANi/PVA was determined as 5.5 and 6, respectively. Besides, the optimum contact time for both composites was calculated as 30 min and the efficiency of mercury removal was increased with a reduction in initial mercury concentration.