Abstract:
Cellulose acetate titanium (IV) tungstomolybdate nanocomposite cation exchanger was
synthesized by sol-gel method by incorporating cellulose acetate polymer into inorganic
exchanger, titanium (IV) tungstomolybdate. Different techniques including FTIR, XRD, TGA
SEM and BET were used to characterize the exchanger. The Cellulose acetate titanium (IV)
tungstomolybdate (CATTM) behaved as a good cation exchanger with ion exchange capacity
of 1.64 meq g-1 for Na+ ions. The sequence of ion exchange capacity for alkali metal ions was
found to be K+
> Na+
> Li+ and that for alkaline earth metal ions was Ba2+ > Ca2+ >
Mg2+These orders revealed that the ions with smaller hydrated radii acquired larger ion
exchange capacity. The pH titration curve indicated that the material obtained as such is a bi
functional strong cation exchanger as indicated by a low pH (~2.25) of the solution when no
OHion
was added. Thermal analysis of the material showed that the material retained 55 %
of its ion exchange capacity up to 600°C. Adsorption behavior of metal ions in different
solvents with varying concentration has also been explored and the sorption studies revealed
that the material was selective for Cr(III) and Pb(II) ions. The analytical utility of the
material was investigated by performing binary separations of selected metal ions in a column
based on the distribution coefficients of the metals. Cr(III) and Pb(II) were selectively
removed from synthetic mixtures of Cr(III)-Co(II), Cr(III)-Cd(II), Pb(II)-Co(II) and Pb(II)-
Cd(II). Antimicrobial activity of the synthesized titanium (IV) tungstomolybdate compound was evaluated and showed a considerable antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus
aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli and Shigella flexneri. The inorganic
counterpart has also exhibited a promising antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and
Fusarium oxysporum.
