Removal of Copper and Lead from Aqueous Solution by Adsorption onto Cross-Linked Chitosan/Montmorillonite Nanocomposites in the Presence of Hydroxyl–Aluminum Oligomeric Cations: Equilibrium, Kinetic, and Thermodynamic Studies

The chitosan dosage was drastically reduced in the new nanocomposite, which is made from the treated clay (Al 13 -pillared montmorillonite). Several important parameters that influenced the adsorption of Cu (II) and Pb (II) ions, such as cross-linked chitosan-to-clay ratio, pH, temperature, initial concentration, dosage, and contact time effect, were systematically investigated.

Result showed that in the nanocomposite with cross-linked chitosan-to-clay ratio of 0.45:1, the maximum removal efficiencies of Cu (II) [pH 6.5, dosage 10 g/L, initial Cu (II) concentration 100 mg/L, contact time 2 h, 298 K] and Pb (II) [pH 6.0, dosage 5 g/L, initial Pb (II) concentration 100 mg/L, contact time 2 h, 298 K] were 96.0% and 99.5%, respectively. Kinetic and isotherm studies have indicated that the adsorption process of Cu (II) or Pb (II) nanocomposites was better fitted by the pseudo-second-order equation and the Freundlich equation, with chemical adsorptions as the rate-limiting step.