Nanoporous Silica Polyamine Composites with Surface-Bound Zirconium (IV) and Methods of Use

A method of selectively removing arsenic from a liquid solution, comprising the steps of applying the solution to a resin, the resin comprising:

• a matrix-polyamine base and a pyridine functional group, said matrix-polyamine base comprising the reaction product of a polyamine with a short chain hydrocarbylsilyl formed from first silanizing a matrix surface by hydrating said surface and reacting said hydrated surface with a short chain trifunctional silane having (a) hydrocarbon substituents containing 1-6 carbon atoms, (b) trifunctional leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding said hydrocarbylsilyl to said matrix surface through Si—O bonds, and (c) terminal leaving groups providing sites for covalently bonding said polyamine to said hydrocarbylsilyl through N-hydrocarbyl bonds;
• and secondly reacting said polyamine with said hydrocarbylsilyl formed from the silanization of said hydrated surface so as to form an aminohydrocarbyl polymer covalently bound to said matrix surface, said aminohydrocarbyl polymer having non-crosslinked amino groups multisite bound to said hydrocarbylsilyl;
• wherein the matrix-polyamine base and pyridine functional group are functionalized with phosphorus acid by the Mannich reaction, and surface-bound with zirconium.