Modification of industrial divinyl rubber by oxidative chlorophosphorylation and assess-ment of metal ion removal efficiency of obtained polymer sorbent

The main goal of this study was the preparation of materials containing phosphoric functionalities on the base of industrial polymer - divinyl rubber and the assessment of their removal efficiency of heavy metals from aqueous solutions. The new method concerns the oxidative chlo-rophosphorylation of divinyl rubber by PCl₃ with the following modification of obtained inter-mediates to create -PO(OH)₂, -OPO(OH)₂ groups in the polymer chain. The obtained modified polymers get some new properties such as complex formation and capability for ion exchange. The nature and distribution of phosphoric functionalities in the polymer were studied by the methods of NMRand FTIR- spectroscopy, thermal analysis and scanning electron microscopy. The sorption properties of synthesized polymers towards some cations (Cu⁺², Ni⁺², Co⁺² and Zn⁺²) from water solutions have been tested. It has been shown that the metal removal efficiency of prepared material depends on pH of medium, initial concentration and type of metal ions.