Preparation of chitosan beads using tripolyphosphate and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether as crosslinker for Cr(VI) adsorption

Abstract

A solid-phase material based on modified chitosan using tripolyphosphate (TPP) and ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) as a crosslinker has been prepared, and its ability in adsorbing Cr(VI) has been examined. In this work, a chitosan flake was shaped into beads using TPP, and its chemical stability was improved through reaction with EGDE as the crosslinker. Some parameters that may influence the product, such as composition and immersion time, were systematically studied to obtain the optimum conditions. The obtained material was characterized using SEM and FT-IR. The ability of the modified chitosan for the Cr(VI) adsorption was described by the adsorption capacity and kinetics study. The results showed that the modified chitosan has Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of 104.283 mg∙g-1 at pH = 3, and the adsorption follows the first-order rate, suggesting an ion-exchange mechanism which is responsible for this interaction.