Multifunctional Silica-Based Amphiphilic Block Copolymer Hybrid for Cu(II) and Sodium Oleate Adsorption in Beneficiation Wastewater

Beneficiation wastewater contains various types of pollutants, such as heavy metal ions and organic pollutants. In this work, a silica-based amphiphilic block copolymer, SiO2–g–PBMA–b–PDMAEMA, was obtained by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) for Cu(II) and sodium oleate adsorption in beneficiation wastewater, using butyl methacrylate (BMA) as a hydrophobic monomer and 2-(dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylate (DMAEMA) as a hydrophilic monomer. FTIR, TGA, NMR, GPC, XRD, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms and TEM were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the hybrid adsorbent. The introduction of PBMA greatly increased the adsorption of sodium oleate on SiO2–g–PBMA–b–PDMAEMA. Adsorption kinetics showed that the adsorption of Cu(II) or sodium oleate on SiO2–g–PBMA–b–PDMAEMA fitted the pseudo-second-order model well. Adsorption isotherms of Cu(II) on SiO2–g–PBMA–b–PDMAEMA were better described by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, and sodium oleate on SiO2–g–PBMA–b–PDMAEMA was better described by the Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of Cu(II) and sodium oleate calculated from Langmuir adsorption isotherm equation reached 448.43 mg·g−1 and 129.03 mg·g−1, respectively. Chelation and complexation were considered as the main driving forces of Cu(II) adsorption, and the van der Waals force as well as weak hydrogen bonds were considered the main driving forces of sodium oleate adsorption. The adsorbent was recyclable and showed excellent multicomponent adsorption for Cu(II) and sodium oleate in the mixed solution. SiO2–g–PBMA–b–PDMAEMA represents a satisfying adsorption material for the removal of heavy metal ions and organic pollutants in beneficiation wastewater.