Adsorption of 4-nitrophenol onto Amberlite IRA-900 modified with metallophthalocyanines.

The adsorption of 4-nitrophenol using commercially available Amberlite IRA-900 modified with metal phthalocyanines (MPc) was investigated. The metallophthalocyanines immobilised onto the surface of Amberlite IRA-900 include Fe (FePcS4), Co (CoPcS4) and Ni (NiPcS4) tetrasulphophthalocyanines, and differently sulphonated phthalocyanine mixtures of Fe (FePcSmix), Co (CoPcSmix) and Ni (NiPcSmix). Adsorption rates were fastest for the modified adsorbents at a loading of 1x10(-3)g MPc/g Amberlite, at pH 9. The highest amount of 4-NP removal was obtained on FePcSmix modified Amberlite IRA-900 with Qt=42.9mmolg(-1) and adsorption efficiency of 86%. The recovery efficiency of 4-NP within 150min was 76%. Using the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model, the complexes showed an order of 4-nitrophenol adsorption to be as follows: CoPcSmix>NiPcS4>NiPcSmix>FePcS4>FePcSmix>CoPcS4. The MPc modified Amberlite IRA-900 was used repeatedly, following removal of 4-NP by nitric acid, without any significant loss of activity.