Zhiyan He

Removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solution by chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles modified with α-ketoglutaric acid.

Chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles (CCMNPs), modified with a biodegradable and eco-friendly biologic reagent, alpha-ketoglutaric acid (alpha-KA), was used as a magnetic nanoadsorbent to remove toxic Cu(2+) ions from aqueous solution. The prepared magnetic nanoadsorbents were characterized by FTIR, TEM, VSM, XRD, and EDS. Factors influencing the adsorption of Cu(2+), e.g., initial metal concentration, initial pH, contact time and adsorbent concentration were investigated. TEM images show that the dimension of multidispersed circular particles is about 30 nm and no marked aggregation occurs. VSM patterns indicate superparamagnetic properties of magnetic nanoadsorbents. EDS pictures confirm the presence of the Cu(2+) on the surface of magnetic nanoadsorbents. Equilibrium studies show that Cu(2+) adsorption data follow Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity (q(max)) for Cu(2+) ions was estimated to be 96.15 mg/g, which was higher than that of pure CCMNPs. The desorption data show no significant desorption hysteresis occurred. In addition, the high stability and recovery capacity of the chitosan-coated magnetic nanoparticles modified with alpha-ketoglutaric acid (alpha-KA-CCMNPs) suggest that these novel magnetic nanoadsorbents have potential applications for removing Cu(2+) from wastewater.

Removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solution by adsorption onto a novel activated nylon-based membrane

A novel activated nylon-based membrane was prepared and applied as an adsorbent for the removal of Cu2+ from aqueous solutions. It involved three stages: (i) deposition of a chitosan layer that functionalized the nylon membrane, (ii) cross-linking with epichlorohydrin to stabilize the polymer layer and enabling grafting, and (iii) iminodiacetic acid grafting. SEM and EDX techniques were used to characterize the composition of the membranes. Dynamic adsorption experiments on membranes were carried out at various pH values, contact times, adsorption dosages and initial metal concentrations to determine optimum membrane adsorption properties. The adsorption isotherm relating to Cu2+ fitted the Langmuir equation and an adsorption equilibrium constant and adsorption capacity of 2.345x10(-3)mg/ml and 10.794mg/g were determined, respectively. The experimental data was analyzed using two adsorption kinetic models, pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order with the latter system providing the best fit. Finally complete regeneration of the activated nylon membrane was possible using 100mmol/l Na2EDTA.

Papain Adsorption on Chitosan-Coated Nylon-Based Immobilized Metal Ion (Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Co2+) Affinity Membranes

A novel immobilized metal affinity membrane was prepared for papain adsorption in this article. Higher papain adsorption capacity between 43-67 mg/g was observed and the adsorption isotherm fitted the Freundlich equation. Experimental data were analyzed using two adsorption kinetic models. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided better correlation to the experimental results. A significant amount of the adsorbed papain was eluted by 1.0 M NaSCN at pH 5.0 for all affinity membranes. It was concluded that the novel chitosan-coated nylon-based immobilized metal ion affinity membrane could be applied for the large-scale isolation of papain without resulting in enzyme denaturation.