Abstract
In this work, the influence of the supermolecular structure of cellulosic fillers in chitosan matrix on the process of adsorption of calcium, magnesium and iron metal ion was analyzed, while using techniques such as: X-ray diffraction, flame atomic absorption spectrometry, FTIR spectroscopy, particle size analysis, and wettability angle. It has been shown that polymorphic form of cellulose significantly affects its particle size. The introduction of cellulosic filler into polymer matrix was responsible for changes in the sorption efficiency of chitosan composites. It was found that materials with nanocellulose II were characterized with the highest efficiency of adsorption. This interesting relationship has not been reported in the literature, yet. It is important especially in terms of designing composite materials with high adsorption capacity. In the presented paper this issue was discussed, taking into account crystallographic aspects as well as changes in the hydrophilicity of the surface of composite materials. Composite materials were also subjected to mechanical tests which showed some interesting increase in tensile strength when compared to the unfilled polymer.
Highlights
Metal contamination of the environment is a serious problem because metals can be toxic, even in small amounts
We analyzed the influence of supermolecular structure and dispersive properties of cellulose on the effectiveness of the metal ion adsorption in chitosan composites
Composites of chitosan and various types of cellulosic fillers were subjected to adsorption tests in aqueous solutions of following metal ion: Ca(II), Mg(II), and Fe(III)
Summary
Metal contamination of the environment is a serious problem because metals can be toxic, even in small amounts. Metals are non-biodegradable, they accumulate in living organisms and pose a great threat to health and life (Crini 2005). Even metals such as magnesium and calcium, which are moved into the groundwater together with fertilizers, can limit the adsorption of other, needful elements. Thanks to water treatment processes it is possible to decrease the amount of Ca(II), Mg(II), and Fe(III) ion in water. Diverse composition of industrial wastewater requires a variety of treatment methods, e.g. precipitation, oxidation and reduction, filtration, centrifugation, reverse osmosis, sedimentation, solvent extraction, evaporation, reverse osmosis flotation, electro-chemical removal, evaporative recovery, adsorption, etc. The adsorption process is considered as one of the best water treatment methods due to the wide availability of different types of adsorbents. Popular adsorbents include: activated carbon (Hu et al 2003), zeolites (Bosso and Enzweiler 2002), clays (Abollino et al 2003), silica (Ghoul et al 2003), biomass (Loukidou et al 2003)
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