The Application of Fiber Ion Exchange Sorbents for Wastewater Treatment and Purification of Gas Mixtures

We developed a method of modifying the polyester material to produce ion exchange fiber sorbents. The production of cation exchange sorbents involved the treatment of polyester fibers with a 20–25% solution of NH2NH2H2O at 70–90°C and a 5% solution of NaOH at 40°C. Anion exchange sorbents were prepared by the treatment of cation exchange sorbents with a 1–5% solution of polyethylenimine at ambient temperature. These new types of sorbents can be used to remove radionuclides, heavy metal ions and organic contaminants from wastewater and drinking water. We studied main properties of these sorbents and their ability to remove 57Co, 60Co, 65Zn, 89Sr, 90Sr, 134Cs, 137Cs and other radionuclides, heavy metal ions (Zn, Ni, Cu, Sb, Pb, Cd, Cr, U, etc.), organic molecules M (pesticides, phenols, dioxins, benzene, toluene, etc.), radio-labeled organic molecules M-32P, M-131I, M-99Mo+99mTc, M-14C, etc. The static exchange capacity is 1–2 meq/g for cationic sorbents and 0.5–1 meq/g for anionic sorbents. The developed sorbents have been effective in removing low concentrations of contaminants from water (lower than 100–200 mg/L) as well as in purifying the gas mixtures from toxic and aggressive gases: SO2, SO3, NH3, H2S, etc.