Adsorption Capacity Of Chitosan Research Articles

Collagen-modified chitosan microsphere as a novel hemoperfusion adsorbent for efficient removal of bilirubin from human plasma

Hemoperfusion is one of the most effective treatments for the removal of bilirubin from the blood. Chitosan (CS) has been widely investigated as a hemoperfusion adsorbent to remove bilirubin due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the limited adsorption capacity of CS for free bilirubin or albumin-rich bilirubin solution, and the strong adsorption for albumin, limit its extensive use. The goal of this work is to improve specific bilirubin adsorption of CS while reducing its adsorption for albumin. In this study, collagen (Col) was chosen as a ligand and grafted onto the surface of CS microspheres to form CS-Col microspheres and therefore to improve their adsorption performance for bilirubin. The maximum adsorption capacity of the CS-Col microspheres for bilirubin increases from 24.2 to 76.9 mg/g. The enhancement factor is higher than that of other CS-based adsorbents. Moreover, the adsorption of CS-Col microspheres for albumin is effectively reduced to 2.6 %, while maintaining good blood compatibility. Compared to other CS-based bilirubin adsorbents, our CS-Col microspheres have the advantage of specific adsorbing bilirubin against albumin due to introducing collagen. This work provides new directions for designing high-performance bilirubin adsorbents. Our CS-Col microspheres show great promise for the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia.

Synthesis and adsorption performance of temperature-sensitive imprinted composite poly (vinylidene fluoride) resin membranes with chitosan modification for selective separation of ReO4−

Purpose This study aims to prepare an imprinted composite membrane with grafted temperature-sensitive blocks for the efficient adsorption and separation of rhenium(Re) from aqueous solutions. Design/methodology/approach PVDF resin membrane was used as the substrate, dopamine and chitosan (CS) were used to modify the membrane surface and temperature-sensitive block PDEA was grafted on the membrane surface. Then acrylic acid (AA) and N-methylol acrylamide (N-MAM) were used as the functional monomers, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as the cross-linker and ascorbic acid-hydrogen peroxide (Vc-H2O2) as the initiator to obtain the temperature-sensitive ReO4− imprinted composite membranes. Findings The effect of the preparation process on the performance of CS–Re–TIICM was investigated in detail, and the optimal preparation conditions were as follows: the molar ratios of AA–NH4ReO4, N-MAM and EGDMA were 0.13, 0.60 and 1.00, respectively. The optimal temperature and time of the reaction were 40 °C and 24 h. The maximum adsorption capacity of CS–Re–TIICM prepared under optimal conditions was 0.1071 mmol/g, and the separation was 3.90 when MnO4− was used as the interfering ion. The quasi first-order kinetics model and Langmuir model were more suitable to describe the adsorption process. Practical implications With the increasing demand for Re, the recovery of Re from Re-containing secondary resources becomes important. This study demonstrated a new material that could be separated and recovered Re in a complex environment, which could effectively alleviate the conflict between the supply and demand of Re. Originality/value This contribution provided a new material for the selective separation and purification of ReO4−, and the adsorption capacity and separation of CS–Re–TIICM were increased with 1.673 times and 1.219 time compared with other Re adsorbents, respectively. In addition, when it was used for the purification of NH4ReO4 crude, the purity was increased from 91.950% to 99.999%.

Separatable polydopamine-coated cobalt-chitosan beads for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater with superior capacity

The discharge of hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)] in industrial wastewater into the natural environment can seriously cause harm to the environment and human health. We modified chitosan (CS) with Co and polydopamine (PDA) to synthesize a spherical adsorbent (CS–Co/PDAHCl) for Cr(VI) removal from wastewater. Co doping can help CS–Co/PDAHCl maintain a high adsorption capacity (666.7 mg g-1) for Cr (VI) while retaining a complete bead shape after multiple recycling. In addition, CS–Co/PDAHCl can maintain 96% of its initial adsorption capacity after five adsorption cycles, demonstrating a strong regeneration ability. Under competitive conditions, the adsorption capacity of CS–Co/PDAHCl for Cr(VI) greatly exceed its adsorption capacity for Ni (II) and Mn (II). Because of the high selectivity of CS–Co/PDAHCl for Cr(VI), 1 kg of CS–Co/PDAHCl (cost approximately $31) could reduce the concentration of Cr(VI) in 87 m3 of secondary electroplating wastewater containing various complex components to the drinking water standard. Owing to the high selective adsorption capacity of CS–Co/PDAHCl for Cr(VI) and its good regeneration ability and expected economic feasibility, CS–Co/PDAHCl can find potential applications in removing Cr(VI) from real wastewater.

Elimination of Terbinafine Hydrochloride Antifungal Drug Traces from Water, Pharmaceutical Formulations and Blood Plasma using Low-Cost Bio and Synthetic Sorbents

<p>:<strong> </strong>Chitosan (CS) biosorbent and polyurethane foam (PUF) synthetic sorbent have been utilized to eliminate terbinafine hydrochloride (TRB HCl) antifungal drug in its pure and pharmaceutical forms from both contaminated aqueous and biological media using a batch process. The experimental conditions for efficient removal of TRB HCl for both CS and PUF were optimized depending on various experimental parameters such as the pH of the solution, contact periods, initial TRB HCl concentration, and sorbents dosage in the solution.</p><p>SEM, FT-IR, and XRD characterizations were carried out to study the adsorption of a drug by both sorbents. The optimum conditions for removing TRB HCl by CS and PUF were achieved at a pH of 8.5 and a contact time of 60 min at 250 rpm, using 0.4 g for both sorbents. The measured spectrophotometric absorbance at λ<sub>max</sub> of TRB HCl was 242 nm. In addition, the zero-point charge (pHpzc) was determined for the studied sorbents. The pHpzc of the surface of sorbents has shown that electrostatic attraction is one of the mechanisms in TRB HCl sorption. The adsorption process was modeled using the pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, Elovich, and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models. The results indicated that the adsorption of TRB HCl on CS and PUF does follow a pseudo-first-order type of reaction kinetics. The adsorption process was modeled using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The adsorption data found that the Freundlich isotherm model was more suitable for the PUF sorbent, while the Langmuir isotherm model better fit the CS biosorbent.</p><p>Evaluation of the experimental data using the Langmuir equation revealed that the maximum adsorption capacities of PUF and CS were 2.807 and 1.2297 mg. g<sup>-1</sup>, respectively. The solution was also used to estimate TRB HCl in its pharmaceutical form, and the assessed recoveries were 97.25 and 98.437% for CS and PUF, respectively. The proposed procedure was validated for other complex mediums by removing TRB HCl from spiked human blood plasma.<em> In-silico</em> aquatic toxicity forecast of TRB HCl was also carried out.</p>

Extraction of Nanocellulose for Eco-Friendly Biocomposite Adsorbent for Wastewater Treatment.

In the present study, nanocellulose was extracted from palm leaves to synthesize nanocellulose/chitosan nanocomposites for the removal of dyes from textile industrial wastewater. Nanocellulose is of interest in water purification technologies because of its high surface area and versatile surface chemistry. Following bleach, alkali, and acid treatments on palm leaves, nanocellulose is obtained as a white powder. The produced nanocellulose was investigated. The adsorption capacity of chitosan, nanocellulose, and novel synthetic nanocellulose/chitosan microbeads (CCMB) for direct blue 78 dye (DB78) removal was studied. A series of batch experiments were conducted in terms of adsorbent concentration, mixing time, pH, dye initial concentration, and nanocellulose concentration in synthetic microbeads. The CCMB was characterized by using physicochemical analysis, namely Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), scanning electron microscope (SEM), zeta potential analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was found that the surface area of synthetic CCMB is 10.4 m2/g, with a positive net surface charge. The adsorption tests showed that the dye removal efficiency increases with an increasing adsorbent concentration. The maximum removal efficiencies were 91.5% and 88.4%, using 14 and 9 g/L of CCMB-0.25:1. The initial dye concentrations were 50 and 100 mg/L under acidic conditions (pH = 3.5) and an optimal mixing time of 120 min. The equilibrium studies for CCMB-0.25:1 showed that the equilibrium data were best fitted to Langmuir isothermal model with R2 = 0.99. These results revealed that nanocellulose/chitosan microbeads are an effective eco-adsorbent for the removal of direct blue 78 dye and provide a new platform for dye removal.

Analysis of Chitosan‐Based Nanosilver Composites for the Repair of Umbilical Cord Wounds in Newborns

The study aim reports a new umbilical cord wound repair material based on modified chitosan‐based nanosilver (CS‐HDH/Ag NPs). The repair of umbilical cord wound has always been the focus of neonatal departments. The study method chitosan, which is famous for its “biological glue,” is used as a modifier to compound silver nanoparticles with strong coordination and adsorption capacity of chitosan. It is worth noting that CS‐HDH/Ag NPs has a significant inhibitory effect on common bacterial infection and reduces the incidence of umbilical cord wound inflammation. The study problem wound bleeding and stump shedding and other factors make the periumbilical cord vulnerable to bacterial infection. For study results, the porous and lamellar structure endows the repair material with breathable properties and excellent antiadhesion, which greatly reduces the number of dressing changes and effectively protects the skin of newborns. CS‐HDH/Ag NPs provides a new model for efficient neonatal health management.

Uptake of methylene blue on divinylbenzene cross-linked chitosan/maleic anhydride polymer by adsorption process

In this work, divinylbenzene selected as the cross-linking agent, a two-step one pot method based on the acylation reaction between maleic anhydride and chitosan had been developed to prepare a series of divinylbenzene cross-linked chitosan/maleic anhydride polymers (CS/MAH-DVB), which were used to remove cationic dye methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The synthesized polymers were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, SEM, TG and pH-drift methods. The adsorption parameters were discussed including pH, contact time, initial concentration of dye and temperature. The maximum adsorption capacities were 448 mg g −1 , 482 mg g −1 and 503 mg g −1 respectively for three CS/MAH-DVB polymers with different molar ratios at 298 K, which were superior to other reported bio-based adsorbents. The adsorption process was found well to follow pseudo-second-order model and Sips isotherm. The adsorption mechanism was attributed to electrostatic interaction and π-π stacking interaction between MB and CS/MAH-DVB polymers. Furthermore, the CS/MAH-DVB polymers could easily be recycled by washing with acidic acetone, demonstrating excellent stability and favorable recyclability over five cycles. These results indicated the chitosan grafted maleic anhydride and further cross-linking using divinylbenzene could promote the adsorption performance of chitosan. • CS/MAH-DVB polymers were prepared through a facile method. • The adsorption capacity of chitosan was promoted by introducing carboxyl functional groups and chemical crosslinking. • Adsorption mechanism was electrostatic interaction and π-π stacking interaction. • The maximum capacity of CS/MAH-DVB-3 reached 503 mg g −1 .

Detoxification of arsenic from contaminated water using chitosan and radiation-induced grafted chitosan: a comparative study

ABSTRACT Presence of arsenic in groundwater, eventually in drinking water, has been recognised as a serious community health problem, due to its high toxic nature. Therefore, its removal is highly essential. Chitosan-based adsorbents have been widely used in water treatment in the present scenario due to their abundance and cost-effectiveness. However, there are some problems hindering its practical use, such as low tensile strength and low solubility in acidic mediums. Thus, in this work, to enhance the adsorption capacity of chitosan for the removal of As (V), it has been modified by grafting with monomer HEMA and SSS using gamma radiation. Modified chitosan was characterised by SEM and FTIR spectroscopy. In grafted and ungrafted chitosan, maximum adsorption capacity was found to be (16.8) mg/g and 1.78 (mg/g) using the 0.1 g of adsorbent dose at pH 3–4 in 35 min, and initial As (V) concentration of 60 mg/L. Isotherm study reveals the adsorption process followed by Langmuir isotherm model for both grafted and ungrafted chitosan. Kinetic study suggested that grafted chitosan followed pseudo second order whereas chitosan followed first order kinetics. The thermodynamics indicated that the adsorption process of modified chitosan for As (V) was endothermic and spontaneous in nature.

Heavy metals bioremediation by shells dust and chitosan derived from Belamya javanica Snail, an Eco-friendly biosorbent

The aim of this study is to utilize the shells dust of Belamya javanica snail (BSD) and produce chitosan from the same shells, then evaluate the ability of the shells dust and chitosan to remove heavy metals Cu2+, Cd2+, and Pb2+ from aquatic systems. Chitosan produced were characterized based on the FTIR spectra, the degree of deacetylation (DD), pH, water, and ash content. The adsorption capacity of chitosan and shells dust was evaluated by using it as a package in 150mm high, 17.5mm internal diameter columns. The heavy metals used were prepared at approximately 10mg/L using primary standards, then passed through the columns for 30 minutes. The results indicated that chitosan and BSD had shown the potential to remove copper, cadmium, and lead with adsorption percentage up to 95%, in which was also at the second elution The results obtained from the experiment were that chitosan and the BSD produced could be used as an efficient and environmental friendly biosorbent for copper, cadmium, and lead from aqueous solution.

Enhancement of Cr(VI) removal efficiency via adsorption/photocatalysis synergy using electrospun chitosan/g-C3N4/TiO2 nanofibers

Chitosan/g-C3N4/TiO2 (CS/CNT) nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning technique for Cr(VI) removal through the adsorption and photocatalytic processes. The effects of crucial factors in the adsorption process including contact time (0–1440 min), pH (1–7), initial concentration of Cr(VI) (20–800 mg/L) were investigated. The photocatalytic experiment was executed in a photochemical reactor with an 800 W xenon lamp to simulate visible light. In adsorption process, at pH = 2, the adsorption capacities of chitosan (CS) nanofibers, CS/CNT10:1 (CS : g-C3N4/TiO2 = 10:1) nanofibers and CS/CNT5:1 nanofibers were 20.8, 165.3 and 68.9 mg/g, respectively, suggesting the addition of g-C3N4/TiO2 (CNT) could notably enhance the acid resistance of CS and widen its practical application. Under visible-light irradiation, the removal efficiency of Cr(VI) using CS/CNT nanofibers was appreciably improved, which was about 50 % higher than that of pure adsorption, indicating that the CS/CNT nanofibers exhibited the effective synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalysis.

Mitigation of toxic arsenic (V) from aqueous solution in fixed-bed column using functionally modified bio-polymer

The presence of arsenic in groundwater, eventually in drinking water, has been recognized as a serious community health problem due to its highly toxic nature, and therefore, its removal is highly essential. To enhance the adsorption capacity of chitosan for As (V), chitosan which is a natural biopolymer was modified by grafting with 2-Hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and Sodium Styrene Sulfonate (SSS). Modified chitosan was characterized by SEM and FTIR spectroscopy. Maximum Removal percentage of As (V) was found to be higher (95%) at inlet concentration of As (V) 60 mg/L, flow rate 1 ml/min, pH 3.5, and bed depth 3 cm. The bed depth service time model and Thomas model are used to analyze the column data in terms of As (V) uptake rate and column capacities. Developed grafted adsorbent could be successfully regenerated using 0.1 M NaOH. Recycle studies suggested that maximum reusability of grafted polymer up to 8 cycles.

Evaluation of Chitosan Modified by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate for Removing Hexavalent Chromium from Aqueous Solutions

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) has the characteristic of forming anionic species, which are very toxic, very soluble in water and difficult to be removed. In this study, dichromate removal from aqueous solutions by chitosan and chitosan modified by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was addressed. The effect of various experimental parameters, such as pH (1-9), initial concentration (10-100 mg L-1), adsorbent dose (0.005-0.350 g) and contact time (5-60 min) was investigated. All experiments were conducted in batch mode at room temperature (~21 oC). The obtained equilibrium adsorption isotherms were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich models. Furthermore, the kinetics of dichromate removal was analyzed by pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and the Elovich models. Optimum conditions for obtaining high removal (~97%) within a relatively short time (60 min) are: 5.0 pH, 0.100 g SDS-chitosan dosage and an initial Cr2O72- concentration of 10 mg L-1. The dichromate adsorption capacity of chitosan is 8.3 mg L-1, while that of SDS-chitosan is 9.7 mg L-1. In addition, the adsorption of dichromate by chitosan and SDS-chitosan is well-fitted by the Langmuir and Freundlich models while the adsorption kinetics is best fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model.

Comparative study of chitosan and silk fibroin staple microfibers on removal of chromium (VI): Fabrication, kinetics and thermodynamic studies

Short staple microfibers (SSM) based on chitosan (CS) or silk fibroin (SF) were fabricated via the wet-rotate-spinning technique and employed to adsorb hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution. Adsorption efficiencies, physicochemical and morphological properties of CS and SF-SSM were systematically investigated and evaluated before and after adsorption of Cr(VI) using different techniques like ATR-FTIR, TGA, XRD, XPS, and SEM. CS and SF-SSM showed removal efficiency (>90 %) toward Cr(VI) ions. Pseudo-second order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models could describe the Cr(VI) ions uptake process. Considering the inexpensive, sustainability and higher adsorption capacity of CS and SF-SSM hold great promising applications as natural adsorbent materials for removing different hazardous metals from aqueous medium.

Construction of ion-imprinted nanofiber chitosan films using low-temperature thermal phase separation for selective and efficiency adsorption of Gd(III)

Rare earth elements are a treasure trove of new materials in the twenty-first century, however, the similar radii of the lanthanide metals make it difficult for the ionic rare earth elements to be selectively separated. Ion-imprinted technology can help to selectively separate rare earth elements, nevertheless, most materials used for ion-imprinted are expensive. Chitosan has a wide range of sources, low cost, and a large quantity of amino and hydroxyl groups, which is advantageous for adsorbing heavy metals. Most scholars have made chitosan into a shape such as microspheres, which does not exert the great value of chitosan and is difficult to recycle, which greatly affects the adsorption rate. There are few studies on increasing the specific surface area of chitosan, so there is still much room for improvement in the adsorption capacity of chitosan. In order to improve the performance of chitosan-based materials, this research reports the preparation of imprinted nanofiber chitosan films (INFCF) by ion-imprinted technique and low-temperature thermal phase separation. These methods not only make the material have a high BET surface area, but also enable the material to have selective adsorption capacity. The BET surface area of the film is 203.6 m2 g−1. The maximum adsorption capacity of INFCF for Gd(III) was 71.00 mg g−1 at pH 7.0. The adsorption mechanism is summarized as a single layer of chemical adsorption. The excellent selectivity and repeatability of INFCF make it a high-quality material for the selective recovery of rare earth ions in industrial production.

Chitosan grafted graphene oxide aerogel: Synthesis, characterization and carbon dioxide capture study

We have demonstrated a superficial, environmentally friendly and sustainable development of chitosan (CS) grafted graphene oxide aerogels for adsorption of CO2 gas. The CS is grafted into the carbonaceous materials like graphene oxide, multi-walled carbon nanotubes etc. to provide the large surface area, high porosity and a large number of amine group which facilitates the adsorption of CO2 gas. CS and carbonaceous materials undergo crosslinking by using cross-linker reagents, and freeze-drying technique to yield CS based aerogels with ordered porous structures. Crosslinking between CS and carbonaceous materials was confirmed by FT-IR. Physical properties of the CS-based aerogels were studied using SEM, TGA, XRD, BET isotherm analysis. The adsorption capacity of CO2 gas by CS grafted graphene oxide aerogels is around 0.257 mmol g−1 at 1 bar, that is significantly higher in comparison to the adsorption capacity of pure CS. We believe that this study helps to reduce the cost of adsorbents due to the large availability of marine waste (CS) and thus aims to reduce the anthropogenic CO2 gas at low cost, favourable temperature and pressure as compared to previously reported.

Swelling and Crosslinked Formaldehyde Chitosan as Adsorbent for Metal Ion Cu (II)

Research about comparison of chitosan modified by swelling and formaldehyde crosslinked in adsorption of metal ion Cu (II) on variation of pH solution and concentration of chitosan has been done. The purpose of this research are to: 1) Determine the degree of deacetylation of chitosan and modified chitosan by swelling and formaldehyde crosslinked. 2) Determine the adsorption capacity of chitosan modified by swelling and formaldehyde crosslinked in adsorption of Cu (II) metal ion. The result of the research showed that: 1) The degree of deacetylation on optimum conditions of each chitosan was 70,3% for technical chitosan; 89,7% for modified chitosan by swelling and 82,5% for chitosan formaldehyde crosslinked. 2) The adsorption capacity in the optimum condition of chitosan modified by swelling and crosslink for the adsorption metal ion Cu (II) were 77,42%, and 75,16%.

Highly efficient removal of copper ions from water using poly(acrylic acid)-grafted chitosan adsorbent

Biodegradable and ultrahigh content grafted chitosan-g-poly(acrylic acid) powder was successfully synthesized in a homogeneous system and used as adsorbents for the removal of Cu(II) in aqueous solution. The copolymer was characterized by various techniques. The fundamental adsorption behaviors of the material were studied. The adsorption isotherm was well fitted with Langmuir equation, while the adsorption kinetics preferred to be described the pseudo-second order equation. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained from the Langmuir model was 210.13 mg/g, indicating that the adsorption capacity of chitosan was enhanced remarkably after grafting poly(acrylic acid). Moreover, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have been used to investigate the adsorption mechanisms at molecular levels, which revealed that carboxyl groups are facile to form bidentate carboxylates with metal ions. Thus, the environment-friendly copolymer will be a promising candidate for application in removal of heavy metal ions.

Adsorption of copper on chitin-based materials: Kinetic and thermodynamic studies

Copper (Cu (II)) is one of the most toxic heavy metals usually found in the environment. Thus its removal from aqueous waste streams is an important issue in nowadays. The present work focuses on the comparison of the copper adsorption on chitin-based adsorbents, i.e. chitin (CH), chitosan (CS) and chitosan- ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid (CS-EDTA). Chitin derivatives are carbohydrate materials well known to remove heavy metal ions from aqueous solutions. The effects of contact time, initial concentration, the temperature, pH, and mass of the adsorbent in the adsorption process were studied. The adsorption isotherms were well simulated by Langmuir and Freundlich models. The maximum adsorption capacity of CH, CS and CS-EDTA at 25°C, pH 7.0 was found to be 58, 67 and 110mg g−1, respectively. Thermodynamic parameters of adsorption processes such as Gibb's free energy (ΔG0), standard enthalpy (ΔH°) and entropy (ΔS0) were also calculated. The results showed that the studied materials could be used as effective adsorbents for removal of copper from water.

Chitosan /Zeolite Y/Nano ZrO2 nanocomposite as an adsorbent for the removal of nitrate from the aqueous solution

In the present study, a series of chitosan/Zeolite Y/Nano Zirconium oxide (CTS/ZY/Nano ZrO2) nanocomposites were made by controlling the molar ratio of chitosan (CTS) to Zeolite Y/Nano Zirconium oxide in order to remove nitrate (NO3−) ions in the aqueous solution. The nanocomposite adsorbents were characterized by XRD, FTIR, BET, SEM and TEM. The influence of different molar ratios of CTS to ZY/Nano ZrO2, the initial pH value of the nitrate solution, contact time, temperature, the initial concentration of nitrate and adsorbent dose was studied. The adsorption isotherms and kinetics were also analyzed. It was attempted to describe the sorption processes by the Langmuir equation and the theoretical adsorption capacity (Q0) was found to be 23.58mg nitrate per g of the adsorbent. The optimal conditions for nitrate removal were found to be: molar ratio of CTS/ZY/Nano ZrO2: 5:1; pH: 3; 0.02g of adsorbent and temperature: 35°C, for 60min. The adsorption capacities of CTS, ZY, Nano ZrO2, CTS/Nano ZrO2, CTS/ZY and CTS/ZY/Nano ZrO2 nanocomposites for nitrate removal were compared, showing that the adsorption ability of CTS/ZY/Nano ZrO2 nanocomposite was higher than the average values of those of CTS (1.95mg/g for nitrate removal), ZY, Nano ZrO2, CTS/Nano ZrO2, and CTS/ZY.

Chitosan—The Application of a Natural Polymer against Iron Hydroxide Deposition

As a consequence of mining, heavy metal ions can be exposed to the environment hence contaminate ground water and surface water amongst others. The natural polymer chitosan was proved to be an excellent adsorber material for the effective removal of iron and sulfate ions in batch as well as in column experiments. The adsorption behavior of iron ions, as well as sulfate ions was investigated by utilizing chitosan flakes as a natural adsorbent. The removal was studied using adsorbance measurements, SEM and SEM-EDX. The adsorption capacity of chitosan was determined at different times. The received adsorption capacities for iron ions were very promising with a maximum adsorption capacity of 85 mg/g and a rate of separation of 100%. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained for sulfate ions was 188.8 mg/g and a rate of 80%.