s Preparation of Surface Molecularly Imprinted Polymer for Adsorption Removal of 2,3-Dihydro-2,2-Dimethyl-7-Benzofuranyl N-Methylcarbamate

Background: Although carbofuran is widely used in agriculture, it is not all decomposed and remains in crops. And then its toxicity is harmful to humans and animals. Objective: The objective of this paper was to consider the effect of various parameters in the preparation process of the Surface Molecularly Imprinting Polymer (SMIP) for the removal of carbofuran and the adsorption study. Method: SMIP was prepared by copolymerizing methacrylic acid (MAA) and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) on the surface of silica gel particles in the presence of the carbofuran template molecules. All adsorption experiment were carried out for 5hours under given conditions. Results: The results show that toluene is suitable as a pretreatment (mixing) solvent for the preparation of SMIP and the pretreatment between the template molecule and the functional monomer was completed in 60 minutes. And the adsorption capacity of SMIP increase with the increasing initial concentration of carbofuran solution and adsorption equilibrium time is less than 50 min. adsorption. The adsorption amount is 8.61 mg/g in adsorption solvent which the ratio of n-hexane to chloroform is 6:1, Maximum adsorption was observed at a pH range of 5-7.The isotherms were well described by the Freundlich equilibrium model, and kinetics were well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Conclusion: In this study, the SMIP was successfully prepared by coating the carbofuran imprinted polymer on the surface of silica gel particles. The results of adsorption experiments show that the prepared SMIP has good selectivity and adsorption capacity, and can effectively remove carbofuran in aqueous solution.