Abstract

Water-soluble polymers containing carboxylic acid, phosphonic acid, and sulfonic acid groups were investigated as polychelatogens under different experimental conditions. The maximum retention capacity (MRC) of these polymers was determined at different pH and polymer-metal ion ratios. The metal ions investigated were: Ag(I), Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Cr(III). The MRC values of the divalent metal ions were found to be very similar and higher than those of the trivalent cations, and there was an important effect of the pH on the MRC. This indicates that the polymer-metal ion interactions were dominated by electrostatic forces. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.