Recovering copper ions from wastewater with chitosan to synthesize lead-free primary explosives

Chitosan (CTS) is a well-known adsorbent capable of absorbing copper ions. It's also a high-quality biomass carbon source. The carbon skeleton formed by the pyrolysis of CTS has outstanding electrical conductivity, which can help copper azide (CA), a new type of primary explosive that's particularly sensitive to electrostatic stimuli, be more electrostatically safe. The CTS-Cu complex is precipitated by using CTS to adsorb and flocculate copper ions in wastewater. To construct the Cu@carbonized chitosan (CCTS) precursor material, the organic ligands in the CTS-Cu complex are calcined into a porous three-dimensional carbon matrix, and the copper ions are transformed into copper nanoparticles embedded in CCTS. The azide reaction converts copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) into high-energy CA. With its good electrical conductivity, CCTS maintains its framework structure and effectively improves the electrostatic safety of composite energetic materials. CA@CCTS has a CA content of 69.7%, an electrostatic ignition energy (E-50) of about 1.19 mJ, and a heat release of 1803.22 J/g. This work takes advantage of CA and CTS's environmental friendliness. CA@CCTS, as a novel lead-free primary explosive, has good electrostatic safety while containing a high proportion of CA. (C) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Chitosan (CTS) is an adsorbent that can absorb copper ions, and the carbon skeleton formed by the pyrolysis of CTS has excellent electrical conductivity, which improves the electrostatic safety of copper azide (CA). In this study, CTS was used to adsorb and flocculate copper ions in wastewater to form a CTS-Cu complex, which was then calcined to form a porous carbon matrix and embedded with copper nanoparticles, creating a Cu@carbonized chitosan (CCTS) precursor material. The resulting CA@CCTS is a novel lead-free primary explosive with good electrostatic safety and a high proportion of CA.