Synthesis and application of hydrazono-imidazoline modified cellulose for selective separation of precious metals from geological samples.

A new hydrazono-imidazoline modified cellulose (HIMC) was synthesized for selective recovery of Pt(IV), Pd(II) and Au(III) from geological samples. Cellulose was oxidized by periodate and was further functionalized with hydrazono-imidazoline moieties to afford N-donor chelating fibers. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), N2 physisorption, elemental analysis, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used for characterization. Introducing the hydrazono-imidazoline groups at the surface of cellulose fibers did not alert their ordered structure and crystallinity, as indicated by XRD and SEM results. Factors affecting the adsorption were systematically investigated. Under the optimized conditions, the HIMC sorbent exhibited high adsorption capacities of 105, 88 and 75 mg g-1 for Pt(IV), Pd(II) and Au(III), respectively. Besides, the metal ion adsorption process fitted by pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm. These results highlight the applicability of this carbohydrate-based sorbent for the selective recovery of precious metals from various matrices.