Sulfur rich microporous polymer enables rapid and efficient removal of mercury(II) from water.

Design and synthesis of adsorbents for efficient decontamination of hazardous contaminants Hg2+ from wastewater, based on a facile and economical strategy, is an attractive target. Here, a novel sulfur rich microporous polymer (sulfur content of 31.4 wt %) with high surface area as well as densely populated sulfur atom with fast accessibility was reported to remove mercury (II) from water. The as prepared polymer (SMP) exhibited high binding affinity, high adsorption capacities, rapid adsorption kinetics, and good recyclability for Hg2+ . The adsorption capacity of SMP was 595.2 mg g-1 . Furthermore, SMP could reduce trace concentrations of Hg2+ from 200 p. p. b. to a level below drinking water standards (2 p. p. b.) within 3 min. This work allows large-scale production of sulfur rich porous materials for the practical application in water treatment.