In order to develop a deep method for removing trace acetic acid from industrial solvents, a type of quaternary ammonium-salt-modified magnetic microspheres was developed as a potential nanoadsorbent for low-concentration acetic-acid-enhanced removal from DMAC aqueous solution. The ion-exchange magnetic microspheres (Fe3O4@SiO2@N(CH3)3+) have been prepared by a two-step sol-gel method with N-trimethoxysilylpropyl-N, N, N-trimethylammonium chloride as functional monomer, tetraethyl orthosilicate as a cross-linking agent, Fe3O4@SiO2 as a matrix. The nanocomposite is characterized by SEM, FI-IR, XRD, VSM, and XPS. Moreover, the optimization of adsorption experiments shows that the maximum adsorption capacity of nanoadsorbent is 7.25 mg/g at a concentration = 30 mg/L, adsorbent dosage = 10 mg, V = 10 mL, and room temperature. Furthermore, the saturated Fe3O4@SiO2@N(CH3)3+ achieved an efficient regeneration using a simple desorption method and demonstrated a good regeneration performance after five adsorption/desorption cycles. In addition, Fe3O4@SiO2@N(CH3)3+ was used to remove acetic acid in DMAC waste liquid; the adsorption effect is consistent with that of a nanoadsorbent of acetic acid in an aqueous solution. These results indicate that Fe3O4@SiO2@N(CH3)3+ can efficiently treat acetic acid that is difficult to remove from DMAC waste liquid.
Keywords: DMAC waste liquid; acetic acid; advanced removal; ion-exchange magnetic microspheres.