A review and experimental verification of using chitosan and its derivatives as adsorbents for selected heavy metals

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 91; no. 4; pp. 798 - 806
• Main Authors: Wu, Feng-Chin, Tseng, Ru-Ling, Juang, Ruey-Shin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2010; Elsevier; Academic Press Ltd
• Subjects: Adsorbents; Adsorption; Adsorption capacity; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Carbohydrates; Chemical modification; Chemistry Techniques, Analytical - methods; Chitosan; Chitosan - chemistry; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Derivatives; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Heavy metals; Industrial Waste; Isotherms; Langmuir isotherm; Management; Mathematical analysis; Metals, Heavy - chemistry; Water Purification - methods; Adsorption capacity; Chemical modification; Chitosan; Heavy metals; Langmuir isotherm; Modification; Isotherm; Review; Adsorbent; Experimental study; Environmental management; Heavy metal
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.10.018

A literature survey on liquid-phase adsorption of selected heavy metals including Cu(II), Zn(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), Pb(II), Hg(II), and Cr(VI) on chitosan (CTS) and its derivatives was made from the viewpoint of adsorption capacity. This parameter was obtained from the Langmuir fit of isotherm data. The magnitude of adsorption capacity of heavy metals on pristine CTS was also used to discuss the mechanism of adsorption; that is, how many amino groups in CTS chains would coordinate with one heavy metal ion. Furthermore, a newly defined parameter, the approaching equilibrium factor R L, was proposed to quantitatively indicate the favorability of the related adsorption process and to judge the correctness of adsorption capacity determined by the Langmuir equation.