Graft Copolymers of Poly(methyl methacrylate) on Cellulose and Their Use as Supports in Metal Ion Sorptiona

We have reported earlier some work on the grafting of vinyl monomers onto cellulose extracted from pine needles. The grafting was carried out both by radiation1,2 and by a chemical initiation method3,4. The optimum grafting conditions for a single monomer were used to co-graft it with other comonomers so as to improve upon the intrinsic properties of the cellulose backbone5,6. These graft copolymers have been used as effective supports for enzyme immobilization7 and metal ion sorption8. In this article, we report the grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) using benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator. The grafting of methyl methacrylate (MMA) and its binary mixtures with other vinyl monomers onto cellulosics has been attempted by redox systems employing ceric ions9,10 although the grafting of binary monomers has not been extensively investigated. Okieimen and Ogbeifun11 grafted acrylonitrile (AN) and MMA individually and as a binary mixture onto carboxymethyl cellulose, and reported that a smaller amount of poly(AN) is grafted from the monomer mixture, even when using a high AN:MMA feed ratio. The grafting of a binary mixture12 of MMA and acrylamide (AAm) onto dialdehyde cellulose (obtained from cotton) has also been reported. The graft copolymers of cellulose acetate butyrate with MMA and styrene have been reported to show good drying properties, form coatings, and show good weather resistance13.