Novel CaCO3/chitin aerogel: Synthesis and adsorption performance toward Congo red in aqueous solutions

In this study, chitin aerogel doped with nano-calcium carbonate (CaCO3/chitin aerogel) was prepared by dissolving chitin in Na2CO3/Ca (OH)(2)/urea system followed by epichlorohydrin (ECH) addition as a cross-linker and then freeze-drying of the hydrogel The as-obtained CaCO3/chitin aerogel showed good adsorption properties toward the adsorption of Congo Red (CR) with maximum adsorption capacity reaching approximately 266.4 mg.g(-1). Besides, the adsorption capacity was affected by the initial concentration and pH. The adsorption kinetics revealed a second-order kinetics model of CaCO3/chitin aerogel toward CR, and the adsorption process was controlled by both the liquid film diffusion and intra-partide diffusion. In sum, chitin aerogel looks promising as an effective adsorbent for anion dye adsorption. The cost-effective and eco-friendly developed approaches are also of great interest for future environmental remediation. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Chitin aerogel doped with nano-calcium carbonate was prepared and showed good adsorption properties for Congo Red. The adsorption capacity was influenced by initial concentration and pH, with adsorption kinetics controlled by liquid film diffusion and intra-particle diffusion.