Removal of Cu(II) Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Chitosan/Zeolite Composites: Effects of the Size of the Beads and the Zeolitic Content

Two types of composites with spherical form (hybrids beads and hybrids microspheres) were synthesized to study the effect of size and the solid content on the removal efficiency of toxic metal ions Cu(II) from aqueous solutions. Six adsorbents based on NaX zeolite (Z) material content encapsulated in chitosan biopolymer (CS). The characterization of composites was realized using XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDS and TG analysis. The techniques revealed that the zeolite was well immobilized in the chitosan matrix and their thermal stability was increased by increasing the zeolite content. The adsorption capacity of Cu(II) ions was evaluated by studying the several parameters such as pH of the medium ranging from 2 to 5.5, initial concentration from 50 to 250 mg/L, contact time, zeolite content from 0 to 100%, beads size and the adsorbent dose from 0.1 to 0.3 g. The CS/Z100%s hybrid microspheres were the best adsorption capacity with a loftiest capacity of 217.81 mg/g which pursues a pseudo second order kinetic model with the adsorption isotherm adjusted to a Langmuir isotherm.