Removal of Nickel Ions from Aqueous Solution by Polypyrrole Conducting Polymer

Polypyrrole (PPy) conducting polymer prepared by chemical oxidation method using FeCl3.6H2O as an oxidant has exhibited 100% adsorption efficiency for the removal of nickel ions from aqueous solution. At pH 7, 100% nickel absorption was found by the prepared polypyrrole as measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. At both acidic and alkaline solutions, the adsorption efficiency of PPy was substantially lowered. The effects of pH, the initial concentration of nickel stock solution and the contact time on the uptake of nickel ions were also investigated. With the variation of initial concentration from 1-5 ppm, the initial concentration of 1 ppm nickel has been found to be adsorbed fully (100%) by the prepared polypyrrole. The contact time of 8 hours has been found to be the highest effective contact hours as beyond this there was no adsorption effect. The FTIR results confirmed the presence of nickel ions in the polymer matrix after adsorption.