Chitosan Composites for the Removal of Pollutants in Aqueous Environment

Abstract

A large amount of pollutants discharged into water bodies and which has significantly affect the quality of aquatic environments. The removal of pollutants from water bodies is highly desirable for the safe aquatic lives and human activities. Recently, the development of green and environmentally friendly adsorbent with favorable properties for adsorption of pollutants has gained high attention. Chitosan, the second most abundant polymer in nature, derived from aquatic media, has a high potential in many applications, including wastewater treatment. The presence of amino and hydroxyl groups in chitosan’s structure not only serve as active sites for pollutants attachment, but ease for structural modification. Modification of pure chitosan into chitosan composites have gained attention as a promising approach for removing various classes of pollutants such as dyes, heavy metals and pharmaceuticals from aqueous environment. This chap uniquely highlights the type of chitosan composites, along with their application in aquatic environment. There is also a list of common modifying agents and biomaterials used in the creation of superior chitosan composites. This work is valuable as it gives insight into the development of green and efficient wastewater treatment technology using chitosan-based adsorbent.