Simultaneous adsorptive removal of methylene blue and copper ions from aqueous solution by ferrocene‐modified cation exchange resin

ABSTRACT Resin was modified with ferrocene (Fc) to enhance removal of Methylene Blue (MB) and Cu 2+ from simulated wastewater. The FTIR, N 2 ‐BET, and X‐ray fluorescence analysis confirmed that Fc was successfully grafted onto the surface of resin. The adsorption capacity of Fc modified cation exchange resin (FMCER) was calculated to be 392.16 mg/g Cu 2+ and 10.01 mg/g MB. Both processes were spontaneous and exothermic, best described by Langmuir equation. Pseudo‐first‐order kinetic model satisfied the adsorption of MB, while the intraparticle‐diffusion model fitted the kinetics of Cu 2+ adsorption best. The result revealed a multilayer adsorption of Cu 2+ on FMCER, and the kinetics maybe controlled by intraparticle diffusion, film diffusion, and competition force. The adsorption of MB and Cu 2+ on FMCER were physicosorptive, with activation energies of 2.09 and 1.27 kJ/mol. pH 2–7 and 4–5 are optimum for the removal of MB and Cu 2+ , and pH 4 is optimal for the simultaneous removal of MB and Cu 2+ . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131 , 41029.