Preparation and characterization of immobilized [A336][MTBA] in PVA-alginate gel beads as novel solid-phase extractants for an efficient recovery of Hg (II) from aqueous solutions.

The coarse PVA-alginate matrix gel beads entrapping the micro-droplets of the ionic liquid tricaprylylmethylammonium 2-(methylthio) benzoate ([A336][MTBA]) as novel solid-phase extractants were prepared for the removal of mercury (II) from aqueous media. The ionic liquid [A336][MTBA] immobilized PVA-alginate beads (PVA/IL) have been characterized by FTIR, SEM and TGA. The influence of the uptake conditions was investigated including aqueous pH, PVA/IL dosage, the content of [A336][MTBA] and initial Hg (II) concentration; maximum Hg (II) ion adsorption capacity obtained was 49.