Equilibrium and kinetic studies on the adsorption of surfactant, organic acids and dyes from water onto natural biopolymers

Chitosan-Based Beads Incorporating Inorganic-Organic Composites for Copper Ion Retention in Aqueous Solutions

In recent years, there has been a challenging interest in developing low-cost biopolymeric materials for wastewater treatment. In the present work, new adsorbents, based on different types of chitosan (commercial, commercial chitin-derived chitosan and chitosan synthesized from shrimp shell waste) and inorganic-organic composites have been evaluated for copper ions removal. The efficacy of the synthesis of chitosan-based composite beads has been determined by studying various characteristics using several techniques, including FTIR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, porosimetry (N2 adsorption), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Adsorption kinetics was performed using different adsorption models to determine the adsorption behavior of the materials in the aqueous media. For all composite beads, regardless of the type of chitosan used, good capacity to remove copper ions from simulated waters was observed (up to 17 mg/g), which proves that the new materials hold potential for heavy metal retention. However, the adsorption efficiency was influenced by the type of chitosan used. Thus, for the series where commercial chitosan (CC) was used, the removal efficiency was approximately 29%; for the series with chitosan obtained from commercial chitin (SC), the removal efficiency was approximately 34%; for the series with chitosan enriched with CaCO3 (SH), the removal efficiency was approximately 52%.

Coating layered double hydroxides with carbon dots for highly efficient removal of multiple dyes

Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) and layered double oxides (LDOs) are desirable adsorption materials for printing and wastewater treatment owing to their outstanding anion exchange abilities, abundant active sites, and eco-friendly nature. In this study, a versatile LDO hybrid coated with carbon dots (CDs@MgAl-LDO) was constructed by modifying sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate on the surface of MgAl-LDH as a carbon precursor, followed by ligand carbonization and hydrotalcite dehydration at 450 °C under N₂ flow. CDs@MgAl-LDO displayed a hexagonal lamellar architecture with a plate lateral size of approximately 500 nm. It had a higher BET specific surface area (28.61 m²/g) than MgAl-LDO (11.48 m²/g). X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that CDs@MgAl-LDO maintained the "memory effect" of LDOs and could retrieve the original structure when dispersed in water. Moreover, the modified carbon dots change the intrinsically hydrophilic nature of LDOs and help to improve the affinity for organic contaminants, including both cationic and anionic dyes. The adsorption of dyes on CDs@MgAl-LDO followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model with correlation coefficients (R²) ranging from 0.9901 to 0.9911 and exhibited Freundlich-type heterogeneous adsorption. It showed superior adsorption performance for three dyes, with the maximum adsorption capacity of 3628.9-5174.1 mg/g, thereby outperforming previously reported LDH-based adsorbents. This work developed a facile approach for preparing new carbon dots-LDH hybrids for the highly efficient removal of multiple dyes.

Adsorption of Cu (II) Ions Present in the Distilled Beverage (Sugar Cane Spirit) Using Chitosan Derived from the Shrimp Shell

Cachaça (sugar cane spirit) is a typically Brazilian distilled beverage. Copper ions can be present in craft beverages despite their acceptance in the national and international market. This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of chitosan as an adsorbent in removing copper (II) from cachaça. The structural characteristics of the obtained chitosan and the effect of adsorbed copper were evaluated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), viscosimetry, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The deacetylation reaction from chitin (shrimp shell) resulted in chitosan with a deacetylation degree of 88.9% (potentiometric titration) and 86.9% (FTIR), low crystallinity, and an estimated molecular weight of 162.96 kDa. The copper reduction rate was 84.09% evaluated by spectrophotometric titration and microwave-induced plasma optical emission spectrometry (MIP–OES). The amine groups of chitosan had adsorption affinity with copper ions, and the kinetic analysis showed a better fit of the data by the Elovich equation, suggesting that the chemosorption mechanism controlled the kinetic process. The results suggest that chitosan has the potential to improve the quality and safety of cachaça.

Dynamics modeling of multicomponent metal ions' removal onto low-cost buckwheat hulls

The process of adsorption from water solutions containing a ternary system of Cu (II), Zn (II), and Ni (II) ions onto buckwheat hulls as a biosorbent was considered. The sorption capacity for buckwheat hulls was determined in sorption equilibrium batch experiments. The sorption kinetics equation corresponding to the mechanism of metal ions with the adsorbent was assumed. A new method for modeling sorption in a packed column was presented. A system of partial differential equations describing the mass balance, due to the assumption of a properly defined variable, was transformed into a system of ordinary nonlinear equations, which enables the identification of object parameters. The sorption capacity of the sorbent, sorption isotherms, and kinetics equations were used in dynamics modeling.

Optimization of Chitosan Glutaraldehyde-Crosslinked Beads for Reactive Blue 4 Anionic Dye Removal Using a Surface Response Methodology

The use of dyes at an industrial level has become problematic, since the discharge of dye effluents into water disturbs the photosynthetic activity of numerous aquatic organisms by reducing the penetration of light and oxygen, in addition to causing carcinogenic diseases and mutagenic effects in humans, as well as alterations in different ecosystems. Chitosan (CS) is suitable for removing anionic dyes since it has favorable properties, such as acquiring a positive charge and a typical macromolecular structure of polysaccharides. In this study, the optimization of CS beads crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) for the adsorption of reactive blue dye 4 (RB4) in an aqueous solution was carried out. In this sense, the response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to evaluate the concentration of CS, GA, and sodium hydroxide on the swelling degree in the GA-crosslinked CS beads. In the same way, RSM was applied to optimize the adsorption process of the RB4 dye as a function of the initial pH of the solution, initial concentration of the dye, and adsorbent dose. The crosslinking reaction was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). The design described for the swelling degree showed an R2 (coefficient of determination) adjusted of 0.8634 and optimized concentrations (CS 3.3% w/v, GA 1.7% v/v, and NaOH 1.3 M) that were conveniently applied with a concentration of CS at 3.0% w/v to decrease the viscosity and facilitate the formation of the beads. In the RB4 dye adsorption design, an adjusted R2 (0.8280) with good correlation was observed, where the optimized conditions were: pH = 2, adsorbent dose 0.6 g, and initial concentration of RB4 dye 5 mg/L. The kinetic behavior and the adsorption isotherm allowed us to conclude that the GA-crosslinked CS beads' adsorption mechanism was controlled mainly by chemisorption interactions, demonstrating its applicability in systems that require the removal of contaminants with similar structures to the model presented.

Adsorption removal of refractory organic matter in bio-treated municipal solid waste landfill leachate by anion exchange resins

Refractory organic matters (ROM) are the dominant organic matters in the membrane bioreactor -treated MSW landfill leachate, which are usually resistant to microbial degradation. Advanced membrane systems, which are expensive and generally for drinking water treatment, have to be used to make the final effluent meet discharge requirements. Anion exchange approach might be another option to remove ROM from leachate. In this study, the adsorption isotherms and kinetics were performed to illustrate the adsorption mechanism of anion exchange resins, 717 and D301R-Cl, for removing ROM from leachate. The results demonstrated that the adsorption isotherms for both resins were best represented by Langmuir model. The measured adsorption capacities of the 717 and D301-Cl resins were 39.84 and 35.84 mg COD g^-1 dry resin, respectively. The adsorption kinetics of ROM onto both resins followed a pseudo-second-order model and the measured rate constants were 0.00278 and 0.00236 g mg^-1 min^-1 for the 717 and D301R-Cl resins, respectively. Additionally, intra-particle diffusion analysis indicated that the adsorption of ROM was controlled by both film and intra-particle diffusions. Based on the UV/Vis spectra and fluorescence EEM analysis, the UV humic-like substances were preferentially adsorbed on both resins, although more on D301R-Cl resin than 717 resin. Furthermore, column studies showed that the adsorption of ROM on both 717 and D301R-Cl resins can be divided into two phases: monolayer adsorption and multilayer adsorption, while the desorption demonstrated similar pattern but different efficiency due to the unique property of resin. The results suggested that the resins could remove ROM from leachate efficiently, while the practical progress needs to be further optimized.

Sodium Copper Chlorophyllin Immobilization onto Hippospongia communis Marine Demosponge Skeleton and Its Antibacterial Activity

In this study, Hippospongia communis marine demosponge skeleton was used as an adsorbent for sodium copper chlorophyllin (SCC). Obtained results indicate the high sorption capacity of this biomaterial with respect to SCC. Batch experiments were performed under different conditions and kinetic and isotherms properties were investigated. Acidic pH and the addition of sodium chloride increased SCC adsorption. The experimental data were well described by a pseudo-second order kinetic model. Equilibrium adsorption isotherms were determined and the experimental data were analyzed using both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The effectiveness of the process was confirmed by ¹³C Cross Polarization Magic Angle Spinning Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (¹³C CP/MAS NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and thermogravimetric analysis (TG). This novel SCC-sponge-based functional hybrid material was found to exhibit antimicrobial activity against the gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus.

Iron impregnated activated carbon as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue: regeneration and kinetics studies

In this study, iron impregnated activated carbon (FeAC) was synthesized following an oxidation and iron impregnation of activated carbon (AC). Both the AC and FeAC were characterized by pH_ZPC and FTIR spectroscopy. The removal of Methylene Blue (MB) by AC and FeAC was examined under various experimental conditions. The FeAC showed up to 95% (higher than AC) MB removal in the pH range of 7–10. Although the reaction kinetics was pseudo–second order, the overall rate was controlled by a number of processes such as film diffusion, pore diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. The activation energy values for the MB uptake by AC and FeAC (21.79 and 14.82 kJ/mol, respectively) revealed a physisorption process. In the regeneration study, FeAC has shown consistently ≥ 90% MB removal even up to 10 repeated cycles. The reusable characteristic of the spent FeAC improved the practical use of activated carbon and can be a breakthrough for continuous flow system applications where it can work effectively without any significant reduction in its performance.

Adsorption of C.I. Natural Red 4 onto Spongin Skeleton of Marine Demosponge

C.I. Natural Red 4 dye, also known as carmine or cochineal, was adsorbed onto the surface of spongin-based fibrous skeleton of Hippospongia communis marine demosponge for the first time. The influence of the initial concentration of dye, the contact time, and the pH of the solution on the adsorption process was investigated. The results presented here confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method for developing a novel dye/biopolymer hybrid material. The kinetics of the adsorption of carmine onto a marine sponge were also determined. The experimental data correspond directly to a pseudo-second-order model for adsorption kinetics (r² = 0.979–0.999). The hybrid product was subjected to various types of analysis (FT-IR, Raman, ¹³C CP/MAS NMR, XPS) to investigate the nature of the interactions between the spongin (adsorbent) and the dye (the adsorbate). The dominant interactions between the dye and spongin were found to be hydrogen bonds and electrostatic effects. Combining the dye with a spongin support resulted with a novel hybrid material that is potentially attractive for bioactive applications and drug delivery systems.

A new absorbent by modifying walnut shell for the removal of anionic dye: kinetic and thermodynamic studies

A novel, low cost and easy regeneration biosorbent, chem-modified walnut shell (MWNS), was studied to investigate its potential for removal of an anionic dye, reactive brilliant red K-2BP. The MWNS was synthesized with epichlorohydrin and diethylenetriamine as etherifying agent and crosslinking agent, respectively, and its characteristics were performed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, electron dispersive spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The influences of pH (0.5-11) and adsorbent dosage (0.1-6g/L) on adsorption capacity of MWNS were evaluated. The maximum K-2BP adsorption capacities (Qm) calculated by best fitting model (Langmuir) were 568.18 mg/g at 313 K, which was almost 10 times than that of raw material. The adsorption kinetic was well confirmed with pseudo-second-order equation. Thermodynamic studies demonstrated adsorption process by MWNS was spontaneous and endothermic. Furthermore, the regeneration capability of MWNS implied MWNS was a cheap, excellent and promising biosorbent for K-2BP removal in azo dye wastewater treatment.

Kinetic study for copper adsorption onto soil minerals in the absence and presence of humic acid

Equilibrium and kinetics of Cu(2+) adsorption onto soil minerals (kaolinite and hematite) in the absence and presence of humic acid have been investigated under various conditions. The influences of ionic strength, pH and solution cations on the rate of the adsorption have been studied. The rate and the amount of adsorbed Cu(2+) onto soil minerals in the absence or the presence of humic acid increased with decreasing ionic strength, increasing pH and in the presence of the background electrolyte K(+) rather than Ca(2+). Humic acid enhanced the rate and the amount of adsorbed Cu(2+) onto soil minerals. The adsorption equilibrium data showed that adsorption behavior of Cu(2+) could be described more reasonably by Langmiur adsorption isotherm than Freundlich isotherm in the absence or presence of humic acid. Pseudo first and pseudo second order models were used to evaluate the kinetic data and the rate constants. The results indicated that the adsorption of Cu(2+) onto hematite and kaolinite in the absence and presence of humic acid is more conforming to pseudo second order kinetics.

Application of genetic algorithms to determine heavy metal ions sorption dynamics on clinoptilolite bed

In the last decade a growing interest was observed in low-cost adsorbents for heavy metal ions. Clinoptilolite is a mineral sorbent extracted in Poland that is used to remove heavy metal ions from diluted solutions. The experiments in this study were carried out in a laboratory column for multicomponent water solutions of heavy metal ions, i.e. Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II). A mathematical model to calculate the metals' concentration of water solution at the column outlet and the concentration of adsorbed substances in the adsorbent was proposed. It enables determination of breakthrough curves for different process conditions and column dimensions. The model of process dynamics in the column took into account the specificity of sorption described by the Elovich equation (for chemical sorption and ion exchange). Identification of the column dynamics consisted in finding model coefficients β, KE and Deff and comparing the calculated values with experimental data. Searching for coefficients which identify the column operation can involve the use of optimisation methods to find the area of feasible solutions in order to obtain a global extremum. For that purpose our own procedure of genetic algorithm is applied in the study.

Modification of fish skin collagen film and absorption property of tannic acid

Fish collagen is a biomacromolecule material and is usually used as a clarifying agent. However, fish collagen is not recyclable, and sedimentation usually occurs in the clarification process using fish collagen so that the filtration process is inevitable. This work aimed to provide a recyclable modified fish skin collagen film (MFCF) for adsorption of tannic acids. The collagen from channel catfish skin was extracted and used for preparation of the fish skin collagen film (FCF) and MFCF. The result indicated that the mechanical properties of MFCF were improved by addition of 2 ml/L glycerol, 6 ml/L polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and 2 ml/L glutaraldehyde in 15 g/L collagen solution. As the most important property of adsorption material, the hydroscopicity of MFCF was only 54%, significantly lower than that of FCF (295%). Therefore, MFCF would not collapse in water. The infrared and thermal properties of MFCF were also investigated in this work. Results indicated that, in comparison to FCF, the physical and chemical properties of MFCF had been improved significantly. MFCF had higher shrink temperature (79.3 °C) and it did not collapse in distilled water at normal temperature. Furthermore, absorption and desorption properties of tannic acid were studied. MFCF showed good capability of absorption and desorption of tannic acid, which leaded to the suggestion that MFCF could have potential applications in adsorption material.

Consequence of chitosan treating on the adsorption of humic acid by granular activated carbon

In this work, equilibrium and kinetic adsorption of humic acid (HA) onto chitosan treated granular activated carbon (MGAC) has been investigated and compared to the granular activated carbon (GAC). The adsorption equilibrium data showed that adsorption behaviour of HA could be described reasonably well by Langmuir adsorption isotherm for GAC and Freundlich adsorption isotherm for MGAC. It was shown that pre-adsorption of chitosan onto the surface of GAC improved the adsorption capacity of HA changing the predominant adsorption mechanism. Monolayer capacities for the adsorption of HA onto GAC and MGAC were calculated 55.8 mg/g and 71.4 mg/g, respectively. Kinetic studies showed that film diffusion and intra-particle diffusion were simultaneously operating during the adsorption process for MGAC.

Biosorption of Reactive Black 5 from aqueous solutions by chitosan: column studies

Fixed-bed column studies were carried out to investigate the dynamic sorption of Reactive Black 5 (RB5) onto chitosan. The effect of operating parameters such as initial dye concentration, superficial flow velocity, bed height and particle size on the sorption of RB5 onto chitosan was studied. Column regeneration, dye recovery and the possibility of reusing the regenerated chitosan were also investigated. The results show that both the breakthrough curves and the adsorption parameters of the column were strongly affected by the operating parameters studied. An analysis of the breakthrough curves indicated that adsorption was affected by mass transfer limitations, probably due to intraparticle diffusion. An empirical model was applied to describe the breakthrough curves, while the Bohart-Adams and BDST models were used to determine the operating parameters useful in the process design. Elution of the column with 0.01 mol L(-1) NaOH allowed the chitosan to be regenerated and the dye to be recovered and concentrated. The concentration factor was 10. Several cycles of adsorption-elution showed that the regenerated chitosan retained good adsorption efficiency and the elution efficiency was always higher than 80%.

Elaboration of chitosan/activated carbon composites for the removal of organic micropollutants from waters

Composite hydrogels were prepared by a wet-casting process by blending a biopolymer, chitosan, with activated carbon (AC) for use in water treatment. Adsorption properties of the composite gels for an organic micro-pollutant (phenol) which may be encountered in wastewaters was studied with an experimental design approach as a function of: - the concentration of raw materials and thus the AC weight within the chitosan matrix. - the accessibility of AC in the polymeric matrix, which is assumed to be related to the coating and thus to the pH of the immersion bath. ESEM observations showed that at a higher pH of gelation (pH = 14), AC particles were entrapped at the surface of the polymer matrix because of a faster gelation kinetic than at a lower pH (13.3). Adsorption kinetic tests showed that phenol adsorption occurred according to two mechanisms. During the first step, phenol molecules were adsorbed by the AC particles located at the surface. The second step corresponded to a slow diffusion through chitosan chains leading to an adsorption by AC particles entrapped within the polymeric matrix coupled to an adsorption on to the chitosan. A mass transfer model was used to describe this two-step adsorption phenomenon. However, due to a heterogeneous coating of AC by chitosan, this phenomenon was not supported by experimental design results: the initial kinetic coefficients were associated with a high experimental error which didn't allow for an analysis of the influence of elaboration parameters on kinetic coefficients. Regardling equilibrium adsorption properties, it was shown that composite gels were good adsorbents for phenol with removal ranging from 94% to 98% corresponding to adsorption capacities from 30 to 41 mg g(-1). The pH of the immersion bath had no influence on equilibrium adsorption properties, contrary to the AC weight within the chitosan matrix which wasdemonstrated to influence significantly adsorption capacities. Because carbon particles may improve mechanical properties, mechanical tests were carried out on the composite gels. For a total amount of dried matter in the compositekept constant, the increase in chitosan content led to an increase in the mechanical properties, because of an increase in thenumber of interactions between chitosan chains. The influence of sonication during the stirring step, leading to a better homogenisation of AC particules within the polymer matrix, was also examined.

Cross-linked quaternary chitosan as an adsorbent for the removal of the reactive dye from aqueous solutions

Adsorption of reactive orange 16 by quaternary chitosan salt (QCS) was used as a model to demonstrate the removal of reactive dyes from textile effluents. The polymer was characterized by infrared (IR), energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDXS) analyses and amount of quaternary ammonium groups. The adsorption experiments were conducted at different pH values and initial dye concentrations. Adsorption was shown to be independent of solution pH. Three kinetic adsorption models were tested: pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intraparticle diffusion. The experimental data best fitted the pseudo-second-order model, which provided a constant velocity, k2, of 9.18 x 10(-4)g mg(-1)min(-1) for a 500 mg L(-1) solution and a value of k2, of 2.70 x 10(-5)g mg(-1)min(-1) for a 1000 mg L(-1) solution. The adsorption rate was dependent on dye concentration at the surface of the adsorbent for each time period and on the amount of dye adsorbed. The Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit to the equilibrium data in the concentration range investigated and from the isotherm linear equation, the maximum adsorption capacity determined was 1060 mg of reactive dye per gram of adsorbent, corresponding to 75% occupation of the adsorption sites. The results obtained demonstrate that the adsorbent material could be utilized to remove dyes from textile effluents independent of the pH of the aqueous medium.