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SKA,
1
WIOLETTA M. BAJDUR,
3
DANUTA PENTAK,
1
AND
BARBARA MIKUA
4
1
Department of Environmental Chemistry and Technology, Institute of
Chemistry, University of Silesia, Szkolna, Katowice, Poland
2
Department of Physical Pharmacy, Medical University of Silesia,
Jagiellon ska, Sosnowiec, Poland
3
Department of Ergonomics and Workplace Safety, Technical University
of Czestochowa, Armii Krajowej, Czestochowa, Poland
4
Department of Analytical Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry, University
of Silesia, Szkolna, Katowice, Poland
In this study waste polystyrene foam and virgin polystyrene as a reference materials
were converted by chemical reactions under heterogeneous conditions into useful
products. Polymeric flocculants were obtained from polystyrene during the sulfona-
tion with sulfuric acid as the sulfonating agent and Ag
2
SO
4
as the catalyst. The
influence of temperature and time of reaction on the properties of the products were
studied. The products were successfully used as flocculants in the treatment of the
waste water. Solid silica sulfuric acid was also used to convert polystyrene. In com-
parison with the conventional sulfonation methods this sulfonating agent simplifies
the reaction and makes easier separation of products from acid and solvent. The
obtained products were cross-linked and exhibited cation-exchange properties.
The batch method was used to study purification of solutions of Zn
2
and Cu
2
by the yielded resins. The performed study proved the usefulness of waste
polystyrene derivatives for water treatment process.
Keywords Chemical recycling; flocculent; heterogeneous sulfonation;
ion-exchange; polystyrene waste
Introduction
Unique properties arise from incorporating sulfonic groups into polymers via sulfo-
nation. The features like increased strength, hydrophilicity and proton conductivity
have led to an exploration of a variety of applications for sulfonated polymers, such
Address correspondence to Wiesaw W. Sukowski, Department of Environmental Chem-
istry and Technology, Institute of Chemistry, University of Silesia, Szkolna 9, Katowice
40-006, Poland. E-mail: wieslaw.sulkowski@us.edu.pl
Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst., Vol. 523: pp. 218=[790]227=[799], 2010
Copyright # Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
ISSN: 1542-1406 print=1563-5287 online
DOI: 10.1080/15421401003720140
218=[790]
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as membranes for fuel cells, plasticizers for macro-defect-free concretes, flocculants
and ion-exchange resins [1].
The current intense research and the general interest in heterogeneous sulfona-
tion is the result of the opportunities such systems present for basic research and
of the undisputable importance such systems have for industry and in developing
technologies. Therefore we applied Neihoff method of sulfonation to convert poly-
styrene (VPS - virgin polystyrene, EPS - expanded polystyrene) into a polymeric
water soluble flocculant [2]. These sulfonated derivatives usually find application
in the industrial water treatment due to the several times lower consumption of
the coagulants used, short flocculation time and improved sedimentation properties
of suspensions [35].
Unfortunately the Neihof method of sulfonation poses problems due to the
desulfonation processes. Moreover this method as many sulfonation methods
requires a large excess of sulfonation agent because the water by-product slows
the reaction down by diluting the acid. In this case a large amount of used acid
is obtained which in batch reactions is usually neutralized and disposed of while
in continuous processes it has to be recycled by complex techniques. Also, the
separation of the products from the sulfonation agent is a difficult and energy
consuming process that habitually implies a basic aqueous work-up. Moreover,
many sulfonation agents are corrosive and dangerous to transport and handle.
Consequently, any reduction in the amount of the sulfonation agent required and=
or any simplification in the handling procedures would be highly convenient in terms
of risk reduction, economic advantages and environment protection.
In order to decrease the environmental hazard of the reaction and to increase its
economy we decided to study the usefulness of the silica sulfuric acid in the
polystyrene sulfonation reaction. Up till now this solid sulfonating agent was mainly
used in the sulfonation reaction of small aromatic compounds [6]. However using sil-
ica sulfuric acid for sulfonation of polystyrene we yielded insoluble in water product
with the cation-exchange properties. Generally cation-exchange resins are used for
softening of water, water purification and even demineralization as well as
separation and purifying metals.
Experimental
Samples of expanded polystyrene wastes (EPS) M
r,vEPS
=230 000 and virgin polystyrene
from Chemical Company Dwory in Oswiecim Poland (VPS) M
r,vVPS
=200 000 were
used. Sulfuric acid, calcium carbonate, and sodium carbonate produced by Chemical
Company POCh in Gliwice Poland were also used in the synthesis.
Polystyrene sulfonation was carried out according to the Neihof method [2]. The
dried sample of each polystyrene was pulverized in a mill and fractions of the size of
0.401.04 mm were separated. They were sulfonated by mixing with concentrated
sulfuric acid (5 times its weight) and silver sulfate (1% of its weight) as a catalyst.
In a glass flask equipped with mechanical agitator, vertical condenser and
thermometer, a certain amount of Ag
2
SO
4
was dissolved in H
2
SO
4
(9597%), poly-
styrene (EPS, VPS) was added at 80
C.
Preparation of silica sulfuric acid: a 500 mL suction flask equipped with a
constant-pressure dropping funnel and a gas inlet tube for conducting the HCl gas
over the adsorbing solution (i.e., water) was used. It was filled with silica gel dried
at 160
C).
Sulfonation was also conducted using expanded polystyrene (EPS) waste under
experimentally defined optimal conditions 1PS:2ClSO
3
H, 7 h at 60
C. The
suspended small particles of sulfonated derivatives of polystyrene (VPSS and EPSS)
were separated from much bigger particles of silica sulfuric acid by filtration and
from solvent by decantation and evaporation. Polystyrene derivative was then
flushed using water and dried to get rid of the possible presence of H
2
SO
4
, the
by-product of sulfones formation.
The IR spectra for the selected products were obtained on the Perkin-Elmer
Spectrum One FT-IR spectrometer. Samples were prepared in the form of KBr discs.
The content of sulfur and carbon in products of polystyrene sulfonation was
determined by using a Perkin-Elmer CHNS=O elemental analyser. These data were
then used for calculations of the number of sulfonic groups per monomer unit
(n.sulf). The calculated molecular weight (M
cal
) count from the formula:
M
cal
= [(n:sulf 102) M
PS
[ M
r;vPS
=M
PS
where:
n.sulf number of sulfonic groups per monomer unit,
M
PS
molecular weight of the monomer unit of polystyrene,
M
r,vPS
molecular weight of polystyrene,
102 the difference between molecular weights of the monomer unit of NaEPSS or
NaVPSS and polystyrene.
The studies of the flocculation were carried out on TURB 550 IR turbidimeter.
The initial value of turbidity of the investigated water was measured and then the
optimal dose of polymeric flocculant was determined. The experiments were
220=[792] W. W. Sukowski et al.
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performed for the obtained compounds (NaVPSS, NaEPSS) and for commercial
NaPSS with the use of waste water discharge model and actual sewage from the
Zawiercie steelwork, the Galwanex Poreba galvanising plant, and Kleofas
mine water. The waste water discharge model was prepared by acidic hydrolysis of
1.8 10
2
M FeCl
3
solution containing 10
3
M HCl at room temperature for a dur-
ation of 3 weeks.
Fractional precipitation procedure: the sodium salts of poly(styrene sulfonic
acids) (NaEPSS, NaVPSS) were dissolved in aqueous 0.5 M NaOH solution and
fractionated into several fractions by stepwise precipitation with an appropriate vol-
ume of 2-propanol as precipitant. The obtained fractions were used to study their
flocculation properties.
In sewages from the steelwork and the galvanising plant the concentration of
the following metals: Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, Cd, was determined with the
use of ICP-AES spectroscopy (Optima 3000 DV, Perkin-Elmer) before and after
flocculation.
The ion-exchange capacity IEC (with unit of mmol=g of dry polymer) of sulfo-
nated polystyrene (VPSS, EPSS) was determined by measuring the concentration of
H
C
when acid-form resin (about 0.2 g of dry resin) samples were equilibrated with
100 mL 0.2 mol=L NaCl solution.
Solutions of heavy metals (Zn, Cu as nitrate; reagent grade; POCh) were pre-
pared in distilled water without adjusting the pH. In order to estimate the adsorption
capacity, stock solutions of 1000 mg=L of each metal were diluted to obtain standard
solutions containing 25400 mg=L of metal ions. Under these experimental con-
ditions it was confirmed that no chemical precipitation had occurred. The solutions
(in convertion to 100 mL per 0.14 g of dry resin) were shaken (180 rpm) in 150 mL
flasks with appropriate amounts of resins in an incubator at 25
C for a period of
24 h. Thermo E.C. Solaar M AAS spectrometer was used to determine initial and
final metals concentrations in solutions. In each case the final concentration of each
metal ions was determined after 24 h.
The percent of metal adsorption (Metal Adsorption) and distribution ratio (K
d
)
were calculated using the following equations:
MetalAdsorption = (c
i
c
f
) 100=c
i
[%[
where c
i
and c
f
are the concentrations of the metal ion in initial and final solutions,
respectively,
K
d
=
amount of metal in adsorbent
amount of metal in solution
V
m
mL
g
!
where V is the volume of the solution [mL] and m is the weight of the adsorbent.
K
d
is defined as the ratio of metal ion concentration in the resin to that in aque-
ous solution.
Results and Discussion
In the process of chemical modification the sulfonated derivatives of polystyrene
wastes (NaVPSS, NaEPSS) were obtained using sulfuric acid and silica sulfuric acid
(VPSS, EPSS) as sulfonating agent.
Chemical Recycling of Polystyrene 221=[793]
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The molecular weights M
r,v
of the products of polystyrene sulfonation obtained
by the Neihof method were compared with the molecular weights M
cal
calculated
from the value of n.sulf.
It seems that some desulfonation and=or degradation of the polymer occurs
when the reaction time is longer than 1.5 h. Derivatives with a higher value of
M
r,v
and n.sulf were obtained during the sulfonation of VPS and EPS at a higher
temperature range (100110
C were used
to investigate the flocculation properties of the synthesized NaEPSS. The floccu-
lation of colloidal suspensions induced by polyelectrolytes of anionic type depends
on the adsorption affinity of polymer chains to the particle surface.
The turbidity values decreased with the increase in the polyelectrolyte dosage
and reached the minimum value. The excess of flocculant concentration caused
the increase in the turbidity value of the studied water. The obtained results depend
on the type of polyelectrolyte used in the experiment (Table 2).
Good purification of the supernatant was observed in each case when different
synthesized NaPSS were used. It was found that the higher polyelectrolyte molecular
weight the smaller the dosage of the appropriate polyelectrolyte required to obtain
the maximum decrease in the turbidity. It was also noticed that the turbidity values
of sewages from the Zawiercie steelworks and the Galwanex Poreba galvaniz-
ing plant decreased after flocculation (Table 3).
Table 1. Number of sulfonic groups per monomer unit (n.sulf) and molecular
weights (M
r,v
, M
cal
) of NaEPSS and NaVPSS obtained during sulfonation of EPS
and VPS at 8090
C and 100110
C
NaEPSS at
8090
C
NaVPSS at
8090
C
NaEPSS at
100110
C
NaVPSS at
100110
C
Reaction
time [h] n.sulf
M
r,v
=M
cal
1000 n.sulf
M
r,v
=M
cal
1000 n.sulf
M
r,v
=M
cal
1000 n.sulf
M
r,v
=M
cal
1000
0.50 0.89 430=431 0.97 550=390 0.98 491=451 0.93 593=382
1.00 0.97 470=445 0.98 590=392 1.05 510=467 1.05 613=406
1.50 0.96 515=447 1.01 600=398 1.11 508=480 1.12 654=420
2.00 0.96 495=447 1.00 590=396 1.09 520=476 1.15 681=426
5.00 0.82 420=415 0.88 530=373 0.95 570=444 0.99 769=394
12.00 0.57 368=359 0.70 480=337 0.55 570=354 0.65 750=328
222=[794] W. W. Sukowski et al.
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Analytical investigations were performed for the waste water discharge model
and real sewage (Table 4). It was found that the concentration of all impurities sig-
nificantly decreased after flocculation. For the waste water discharge model the
decrease of Fe [mg=L] concentration was equal to 93%. For real sewage the most sig-
nificant concentration drops were observed for Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr and Cd for the sew-
age from the Zawiercie steelwork. For the sewage from the Galwanex Poreba
galvanising plant the decrease in the metal concentration was smaller and the
maximum decrease was found for Cr. It was noted that water subjected to treatment
with polyelectrolytes satisfies the standards for disposal to water resources.
By using silica sulfuric acid as the sulfonation agent for polystyrene sulfonation,
water absorbing products (non-soluble in water) were obtained. The reaction is rela-
tively simple and the obtained polystyrene derivatives exhibit cation-exchange
properties. FT-IR spectroscopy was used to study properties of the obtained
Table 3. The effect of dose of flocculant on turbidity of the sewage after flocculation
Sewage from steelwork Sewage from galvanising plant
Dosage
[mg=L]
Turbidity
[NTU]
Change
[%]
Dosage
[mg=L]
Turbidity
[NTU]
Change
[%]
0.000 560 0 0.000 380 0
0.003 120 78 0.010 374 2
0.008 24 95 0.051 96 75
0.009 11 98 0.071 68 82
0.010 11 98 0.074 58 85
0.016 11 98 0.075 53 86
0.023 11 98 0.077 53 86
Data with maximum turbidity degrease are in bold type.
Table 2. The dependence of the turbidity of the waste water discharge model after
flocculation on the appropriate dosage of the polyelectrolyte
Type of
NaEPSS
a
:
Turbidity [NTU]=change of the turbidity [%]
Dosage [mg=L]
0.50=0.98=
490 000
1.0=1.05=
510 000
2.0=1.09=
520 000
5.0=0.95=
570 000
0.000 360=0 360=0 360=0 360=0
0.002 156=57 190=47 125=65 158=56
0.004 87=76 125=65 55=85 64=82
0.005 71=80 101=72 49=86 30=92
0.006 58=84 74=79 30=92 42=88
0.007 42=88 51=86 51=86 54=85
0.008 35=90 45=88 67=81 64=82
0.009 50=86 21=94 89=75 88=75
0.010 67=97 42=88 129=64 94=74
a
Time of the synthesis[h)]=n.sulf=M
r,v
, respectively.
Chemical Recycling of Polystyrene 223=[795]
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products. The appearance of a band at 1175 cm
1
, the effect of the stretching
vibration of SO
2
, was used to confirm the sulfonation of polystyrene [9,10]. The
IR spectra of different polysulfones [1114] have characteristic bands for the
C-SO
2
-C group. The symmetric stretching of C-S-C at 776 cm
1
was observed. An
ion exchange resin that is highly cross-linked is resistant to the diffusion of various
ions via the resin and less useful for water purification. Unfortunately products of
the sulfonation process conducted at 60
C, 7 h, PS:2ClSO
3
H), which is similar to cation exchange capacity of commercial
Amberlite IR, 35 mmol=g. Due to the presence of additives in EPS, the higher cat-
ion exchange capacity of EPSS resin derived from EPS is probably the result of
higher ratio of sulfonating agent to polystyrene in comparison to that in VPSS.
Batch uptake studies allow for measurement of the quantity of metal ions
absorbed from a solution onto the absorbent after maintaining contact for long
enough to reach equilibrium. Data from the batch uptake tests were used to calculate
the distribution ratio K
d
and the Metal Adsorption (Table 6).
The adsorption of Zn
2
and Cu
2
by modified waste polystyrene as a function
of their initial concentrations at 25
C
T [
C,
t =7 h.
226=[798] W. W. Sukowski et al.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Committee of Scientific Research in Poland,
University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland (BS=ICh=06=07=08; BW=ICh=08) and
Medical University of Silesia (KNW-008=09).
References
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Chemical Recycling of Polystyrene 227=[799]
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