In this study, a novel conducting polypyrrole (Ppy) fine powder has been prepared as a new adsorbent to remove heavy metal ions like arsenic ions from an aqueous solution. Polypyrrole was chemically synthesized by using FeCl3.6H2O as an oxidant at various mole ratios. Various ion concentrations of arsenic were treated by Ppy adsorbent, and the concentrations of arsenic were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). The efficiency of the adsorbent was evaluated by calculating the difference in arsenic concentrations before and after adsorption. The results show that Ppy acts as an effective adsorbent to remove arsenic ions from an aqueous solution. In addition, the surface morphology and functional groups were analyzed by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), and Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, respectively before and after treatment. This study shows that certain preparation conditions of Ppy could remove arsenic ions from an aqueous solution effectively, which may encourage further application in true solution as it involves low cost and is easy to prepare.

1. J. O. Nriagu and J. M. Pacyna, “Quantitative assessment of worldwide contamination of air, water and soils by trace metals,” Nature, vol. 333, no. 6169, pp. 134-139, 1988. https://dx.doi.org/10.1038/333134a0 PMid:3285219
2. G. R. Bernardo and R. M. J. Rene, “Chromium (III) uptake by agro-waste biosorbents: Chemical characterization, sorption– desorption studies, and mechanism,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 170, no. 2, pp. 845-854, 2009. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.05.046 PMid:19523757
3. T. Aman, A. A. Kazi, M. U. Sabri and Q. Bano, “Potato peels as solid waste for the removal of heavy metal copper (II) from waste water/industrial effluent,” Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, vol. 63, no. 1, pp. 116-121, 2008. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2007.11.013 PMid:18215510
4. Y. Jiang, H. Pang and B. Liao, “Removal of copper (II) ions from aqueous solution by modified bagasse,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 164, no. 1, pp. 1-9, 2009. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.07.107 PMid:18790566
5. B. Samiey, C. H. Cheng and J. Wu, “Organic-inorganic hybrid polymers as adsorbents for removal of heavy metal ions from solutions: A review,” Materials, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 673-726, 2014. https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma7020673
6. H. Javadian, “Application of kinetic, isotherm and thermodynamic models for the adsorption of Co (II) ions on polyaniline/polypyrrole copolymer nanofibers from aqueous solution,” Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 4233-4241, 2014. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2014.01.026
7. R. W. Peters, “Chelant extraction of heavy metals from contaminated soils,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 66, no. 1, pp. 151-210, 1999. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0304-3894(99)00010-2
8. T. Robinson, G. McMullan, R. Marchant P. Nigam, “Remediation of dyes in textile effluent: a critical review on current treatment technologies with a proposed alternative,” Bioresource Technology, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 247-255, 2001. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0960-8524(00)00080-8
9. S. Yao, Z. Liu and Z. Shi, “Arsenic removal from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto iron oxide/activated carbon magnetic composite,” Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 58-62, 2014. https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/2052-336X-12-58 PMid:24602339 PMCid:PMC3973847
10. S. Vadahanambi, S. H. Lee, W. J. Kim and I. K. Oh, “Arsenic removal from contaminated water using three-dimensional graphene-carbon nanotube-iron oxide nanostructures,” Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 47, no. 18, pp. 10510-10517, 2013. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es401389g
11. WH. Organization, “Guidelines for drinking-water quality: recommendations,” World Health Organization, 2004.
12. C. Griffiths, H. Klemick, M. Massey, C. Moore, S. Newbold, D. Simpson and W. Wheeler, “US environmental protection agency valuation of surface water quality improvements,” Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 130-146, 2012. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/reep/rer025
13. P. Chutia, S. Kato, T. Kojima and S. Satokawa, “Arsenic adsorption from aqueous solution on synthetic zeolites,” Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 162, no. 1, pp. 440-447, 2009. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2008.05.061 PMid:18583035
14. R. S. Oremland and J. F. Stolz, “The ecology of arsenic,” Science, vol. 300, no. 5621, pp. 939-944, 2003. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1081903 PMid:12738852
15. N. E. Korte and Q. Fernando, “A review of arsenic (III) in groundwater,” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 21, 1, pp. 1-39, 1991. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10643389109388408
16. S. Kapaj, H. Peterson, K. Liber and P. Bhattacharya, “Human health effects from chronic arsenic poisoning–a review,” Journal of Environmental Science and Health Part A, vol. 41, no. 10, pp. 2399-2428, 2006. https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10934520600873571 PMid:17018421
17. J. C. Semenza and G. Nichols, “Cryptosporidiosis surveillance and water-borne outbreaks in Europe,” European Communicable Disease Bulletin, vol. 12, no. 5, pp. E13-4, 2007.
18. S. Deng and R. Bai, “Removal of trivalent and hexavalent chromium with aminated polyacrylonitrile fibers: performance and mechanisms.,” Water Research, vol. 38, 9, pp. 2424-2432, 2004.
19. C. Weidlich, K. M. Mangold, and K. Jüttner, “Conducting polymers as ion-exchangers for water purification,” Electrochimica Acta, vol. 47, no. 5, pp. 741-745, 2001. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0013-4686(01)00754-X
20. M. M. Abdi, A. Kassim, H. E. Mahmud, W. M. M. Yunus, Z. A. Talib and A. R. Sadrolhosseini, “Physical, optical, and electrical properties of a new conducting polymer,” Journal of materials science, vol. 44, no. 14, pp. 3682-3686, 2009. https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-009-3491-y
21. R. Katal, M. Ghiass and H. Esfandian, “Application of nanometer size of polypyrrole as a suitable adsorbent for removal of Cr (VI),” Journal of Vinyl and Additive Technology, vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 222-230, 2011. https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/vnl.20287
22. F. J. Rodríguez, S. Gutiérrez, J. G. Ibanez, J. l. Bravo and N. Batina, “The efficiency of toxic chromate reduction by a conducting polymer (polypyrrole): Influence of electropolymerization conditions,” Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 34, no. 10, pp. 2018-2023, 2000. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es990940n
23. A. Kassim, H. E. Mahmud and F. Adzmi, “Polypyrrole–montmorillonite clay composites: An organic semiconductor,” Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing, vol. 10, no.6, 246-251, 2007. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mssp.2008.02.001
24. W. S. Wan Ngah, M. A. K. M. Hanafiah, “Removal of heavy metal ions from wastewater by chemically modified plant wastes as adsorbents: A review,” Bioresource Tech., vol. 99, no. 10, pp. 3935-3948, 2008. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2007.06.011 PMid:17681755
25. S. Deng, G. Yu, S. Xie, Q. Yu, J. Huang, Y. Kuwaki and M. Iseki, “Enhanced adsorption of arsenate on the aminated fibers: sorption behavior and uptake mechanism,” Langmuir, vol. 24, no. 19, pp. 10961-10967, 2008. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la8023138 PMid:18771297
26. A. I. Zouboulis and I. A. Katsoyiannis, “Arsenic removal using iron oxide loaded alginate beads,” Industrial & engineering chemistry research, vol. 41, no. 24, pp. 6149-6155, 2002. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ie0203835
27. Y. F. Jia, B. Xiao and K. M. Thomas, “Adsorption of metal ions on nitrogen surface functional groups in activated carbons,” Langmuir, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 470-478, 2002. https://dx.doi.org/10.1021/la011161z

H. N. M. E. Mahmud, A. K. Obidul Huq and R. B. Yahya, ―Polypyrrole conducting polymer: A novel adsorbent for arsenic ions from aqueous solution,‖ International Journal ofTechnology and Engineering Studies, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 129-135, 2015.