LAUSR

ABSTRACT A novel synthetic route for preparation of pH-responsive molecularly imprinted adsorbents for separation of diethyl phthalate (DEP) is proposed. Polymers were synthesized using acrylic acid (AAc) and methyl methacrylate (MMA) crosslinked using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) or divinylbenzene (DVB). The carried out tests revealed the pH-driven recognition of synthesized sorbents toward DEP. It was found that sorbents derived from mixture of 30% AAc:MMA (1:1) and 70 wt.% of DVB in the presence of 7 wt.% of template were the best. The DEP sorption took the highest value (85 mg g−1) at pH = 5, while desorption with extent of 92% was the most efficient at pH = 8.