Biosorption Characteristics of Cu(II) and Cd(II) Ions by Modified Alginate

In this study, a novel biosorbent was prepared by the modification of sodium alginate with thiosalicylic acid in the presence of calcium ions (TS-A). TS-A was then characterized and its removal performance for Cu(II) and Cd(II) ions from the aqueous solutions was investigated. The effects of batch and column parameters on the biosorption were systematically investigated. The obtained data from the biosorption results were well fitted by the pseudo-second-order kinetic and Langmuir isotherm models. The maximum biosorption capacities of TS-A were found as 426.9 mg g−1 for Cu(II) ions and 592.9 mg g−1 for Cd(II) ions. In the column system, the saturation points of TS-A were obtained as 180 min and 150 min for Cu(II) and Cd(II) ions, respectively. In conclusion, TS-A has provided the removal of heavy metal ions with superior performance by a smart biosorption method, offering advantages such as rapid kinetic and high biosorption capacities.