Magnetic organic xerogels: efficient adsorbents for the removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions

The synthesis of novel mobile composite adsorbents dedicated to the efficient removal of heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions is presented. The acidic condensation of resorcinol and 2-thiophenecarboxaldehyde in the presence of carbon-encapsulated iron nanoparticles results in a monolithic solid composite which has superior adsorption properties. The magnetic properties of the composite can be tuned by changing the content of the magnetic filler. The adsorption performance of the composite has been evaluated in the removal of Fe(III) Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. The composites obtained have also been subjected to post-synthesis sulfonation to further improve their adsorption properties. The composite adsorbents obtained have better adsorption performance than the commercially available cation exchange resin.