Gamma Radiation Preparation of Poly (Acrylamide/Maleic Acid/Gelatin) Hydrogels for Adsorption of Chromium Ions from Wastewater

Poly (acrylamide/maleic acid/gelatin) P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels have been prepared by gamma radiation and their adsorption for chromium ion from aqueous solutions have been investigated. The structural of the hydrogels was monitored by FTIR. The swelling behavior of the hydrogels has been investigated in distilled water and different pH's values at ambient temperature. The P(AAm) hydrogel showed fair pH-dependent swelling whereas P(AAm/MA) and P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels exhibit a higher swelling by increasing the pH. The chromium ion solutions have been exposed to gamma radiation for precipitation. The results showed that the precipitation (%) decrease by increasing the initial chromium ions concentration. The possibility of using different hydrogels for the uptake of irradiated chromium ion solutions was investigated. The P(AAm/MA) hydrogel showed higher chromium ion uptake compared to that by P(AAm) and P(AAm/MA/G). The adsorption studies show that, the chromium uptake is pH dependent. Lowering of the chromium ion concentration has been achieved after the treatment of chromium ion solution by gamma radiation followed by adsorption onto hydrogels.