Abstract
This work demonstrates that a biodegradable chitosan-based biocomposite packed in mini-reactors successfully removes copper ions from aqueous solutions. The chitosan is obtained by deacetylation of biological chitin, which is extracted from shrimp wastes by lactic acid fermentation. The polysaccharide is embedded in a biodegradable prepolymer matrix before extrusion to produce porous cylindrical pellets of 2 × 80 mm. The highest copper ion removal is 62.5 mg Cu2+ per g of the biodegradable adsorbent. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of the material, below its saturation, allows several cycles of reuse with a hydraulic retention time reduction of 1 h. This chitosan-based material is advantageous when compared with other approaches using non-biodegradable materials or costly commercial adsorbents for removing heavy metal ions in wastewater effluents as well as a filter component in water purification devices.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Cataldo S, Muratore N, Orecchio S, Pettignano A (2015) Enhancement of adsorption ability of calcium alginate gel beads towards Pd (II) ion. A kinetic and equilibrium study on hybrid Laponite and Montmorillonite–alginate gel beads. Appl Clay Sci 118:162–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2015.09.014
Chen Y, Wang J (2011) Preparation and characterization of magnetic chitosan nanoparticles and its application for Cu(II) removal. Chem Eng J 168:286–292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2011.01.006
Crini G (2006) Non-conventional low-cost adsorbents for dye removal: a review. Bioresour Technol 97:1061–1085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2005.05.001
Fu F, Wang Q (2011) Removal of heavy metal ions from wastewaters: a review. J Environ Manag 92:407–418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2010.11.011
Haider TP, Völker C, Kramm J, Landfester K, Wurm FR (2019) Plastics of the future? The impact of biodegradable polymers on the environment and on society. Angew Chem Int Ed 58:50–62. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.201805766
Ho YS, McKay G (2002) Application of kinetic models to the sorption of copper (II) on to peat. Adsorpt Sci Technol 20:797–815. https://doi.org/10.1260/026361702321104282
Karadas C, Kara D (2017) Dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating organic drop for preconcentration and determination of trace amounts of copper by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Food Chem 220:242–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.09.005
Mendes JF, Pascholain RT, Carmona VB, Sena A, Marques ACP, Marconcini JM, Mattoso LHC, Medeiros ES, Oliveira JE (2016) Biodegradable polymer blends based on corn starch and thermoplastic chitosan by extrusion. Carbohydr Polym 137:452–458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2015.10.093
Muxika A, Etxabide A, Uranga J, Guerrero P, de la Caba K (2017) Chitosan as a bioactive polymer: processing, properties and applications. Int J Biol Macromol 105:1358–1368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.07.087
Ngah WW, Teong LC, Hanafiah MAKM (2011) Adsorption of dyes and heavy metal ions by chitosan composites: a review. Carbohydr Polym 83(4):1446–1456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2010.11.004
Niu Y, Ying D, Li K, Wang Y, Ji J (2017) Adsorption of heavy-metal ions from aqueous solution onto chitosan-modified polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Res Chem Intermed 43:4213–4225. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11164-017-2866-y
Pacheco N, Garnica-Gonzalez M, Gimeno M, Bárzana ET, Stéphane DL, Shirai K (2011) Structural characterization of chitin and chitosan obtained by biological and chemical methods. Biomacromolecules 12:3285–3290. https://doi.org/10.1021/bm200750t
Pereira FS, Lanfredi S, Perez-Gonzalez ER, da Silva Agostini DL, Marques-Gomes H, dos Santos-Medeiros R (2017) Thermal and morphological study of chitosan metal complexes. J Therm Anal Calorim 129:291–301. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-017-6146-2
Popuri SR, Vijaya Y, Boddu VM, Abburi K (2009) Adsorptive removal of copper and nickel ions from water using chitosan coated PVC beads. Bioresour Technol 100:194–199. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2008.05.041
Pradhan S, Shukla SS, Dorris KL (2005) Removal of nickel from aqueous solutions using crab shells. J Hazard Mater 125:201–204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2005.05.029
Quiroz-Castillo JM, Rodríguez-Félix DE, Grijalva-Monteverde H, del Castillo-Castro T, Plascencia-Jatomea M, Rodríguez-Félix F, Herrera-Franco PJ (2014) Preparation of extruded polyethylene/chitosan blends compatibilized with polyethylene-graft-maleic anhydride. Carbohydr Polym 101:1094–1100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2013.10.052
Ren L, Yan X, Zhou J, Tong J, Su X (2017) Influence of chitosan concentration on mechanical and barrier properties of corn starch/chitosan films. Int J Biol Macromol 105:1636–1643. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2017.02.008
Sprynskyy M, Buszewski B, Terzyk AP, Namieśnik J (2006) Study of the selection mechanism of heavy metal (Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, and Cd2+) adsorption on clinoptilolite. J Colloid Interface Sci 304:21–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2006.07.068
Vakili M, Rafatullah M, Salamatinia B, Abdullah AZ, Ibrahim MH, Tan KB, Gholami Z, Amouzgar P (2014) Application of chitosan and its derivatives as adsorbents for dye removal from water and wastewater: a review. Carbohydr Polym 113:115–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2014.07.007
Wan MW, Wang CC, Chen CM (2013) The adsorption study of copper removal by chitosan-coated sludge derived from water treatment plant. Int J Environ Sci Dev 4(5):545. https://doi.org/10.7763/IJESD.2013.V4.411
Willett JL, Shogren RL (2002) Processing and properties of extruded starch/polymer foams. Polymer 43:5935–5947. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-3861(02)00497-4
Zhang L, Zeng Y, Cheng Z (2016) Removal of heavy metal ions using chitosan and modified chitosan: a review. J Mol Liq 214:175–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molliq.2015.12.013
Acknowledgments
Mr. Heriberto Alonso Gómez and Mr. Ricardo Rosas are greatly acknowledged for their assistance in Atomic Absorption Spectrometry and XRD analyses, respectively, at Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa. Dr. José D. Sepulveda-Sánchez is also greatly acknowledged for his assistance in EDS and SEM studies. Ms. Claudia Barrera is greatly acknowledged for the diligent proofreading of this paper.
Funding
The authors would like to thank the Secretary of Education, Science Technology, and Innovation of Mexico City (SECTEI) of the Government of Mexico City, for funding Project No. SECTEI/196/2019 and CONACYT for scholarship grants (OVG and MEM).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Responsible editor: Tito Roberto Cadaval Jr
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Electronic supplementary material
ESM 1
(DOCX 23 kb)
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Velasco-Garduño, O., Martínez, M.E., Gimeno, M. et al. Copper removal from wastewater by a chitosan-based biodegradable composite. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 28527–28535 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07560-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-07560-2