Extraction of Mercury(II) with Sulfurized Jojoba Oil

Sulfurized jojoba oil containing 12% by weight S has been tested as an extractant for Hg(II) from aqueous solutions. Experiments have been performed with the extractant dissolved in a solvent (liquid-liquid extraction) or adsorbed in an appropriate resin matrix (solid-liquid extraction). The extraction characteristics of both systems have been measured and show that sulfurized jojoba oil exhibits very good possibilities as an extractant. The performance of several resins treated with sulfurized jojoba oil for adsorbing mercury(II) was studied. The morphology of the different resins was examined by using scanning electron microscopy. The sulfurized oil is attached to the resin sites through the sulfur atoms; it is estimated that there are about 2 mol of S active sites per kilogram of resin.