An innovative approach to synthesize graft copolymerized acetylacetone chitosan/surface functionalized alginate/rutile for efficient Ni(II) uptake from aqueous medium

In this study, an innovative approach is followed to synthesize graft copolymerized chitosan with acetylacetone (AA-g-CS) through free-radical induced grafting. Afterwards, AA-g-CS and rutile have been intercalated uniformly into amino carbamate alginate matrix to prepare its biocomposite hydrogel beads of improved mechanical strength having different mass ratio i.e., 5.0 %, 10.0 % 15.0 % and 20.0 % w/w. Biocomposites have been thoroughly characterized through FTIR, SEM and EDX analysis. Isothermal sorption data showed good fit with Freundlich model as conferred from regression coefficient (R2 0.99). Kinetic parameters were evaluated through non-linear (NL) fitting of different kinetic models. Experimental kinetic data exhibited close agreement to quasi-second order kinetic model (R2 0.99) which reveals that chelation between heterogeneous grafted ligands and Ni(II) is occurring through complexation. Thermodynamic parameters were evaluated at different temperatures to observe the sorption mechanism. The negative values of & UDelta;G degrees (-22.94, -23.56, -24.35 and 24.94 kJ/mol), positive & UDelta;H degrees (11.87 kJ/mol) and & UDelta;S degrees (0.12 kJ/molK- 1) values indicated that the removal process is spontaneous and endothermic. The maximum monolayer sorption capacity (qm) was figured as 246.41 mg/g at 298 K and pH = 6.0. Hence, 3AA-g-CS/TiO2 could be better candidate for economic recovery of Ni(II) ions from waste effluents.

Automated summary

In this study, a new method is used to synthesize graft copolymerized chitosan with acetylacetone (AA-g-CS) through free-radical induced grafting. Biocomposite hydrogel beads with improved mechanical strength are prepared by uniformly intercalating AA-g-CS and rutile into amino carbamate alginate matrix. The FTIR, SEM, and EDX analysis confirm the thorough characterization of the biocomposites. The sorption process is shown to be spontaneous and endothermic, and the maximum monolayer sorption capacity is determined.