Removal of pentachlorophenol pesticide from aqueous solutions using modified chitosan

Abstract

For the development of a bioadsorbent with enhanced adsorption properties to remove pentachlorophenol (PCP) pesticide from aqueous solutions, a modified chitosan material CHTA (1) was successfully obtained by crosslinking of chitosan (CHT) (I) with 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde. Functionalized chitosan CHTA was further modified by grafting with CuCl2 to prepare CHTAC (2). The obtained products were characterized with the necessary chemical and spectroscopic techniques and were studied as an adsorbent for PCP removal from aqueous solutions. The adsorption capacity of 1 and 2 improved by 94% and 76% respectively as compared to CHT. Kinetics and thermodynamic studies were carried out to understand equilibrium data of uptake capacity and kinetic rate of adsorption. Desorption properties and reusability of prepared materials were evaluated up to three consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles with different desorbing agents.