Enhanced adsorption of active brilliant red X-3B dye on chitosan molecularly imprinted polymer functionalized with Ti(IV) as Lewis acid

A Ti(IV) functionalized chitosan molecularly imprinted polymer (Ti-CSMIP) was successfully prepared. Ti4+ as Lewis acidic was used to modify chitosan MIP by producing metal hydroxyl group and protonated surface of adsorbent in aqueous solution to recognize X-3B molecule as a Lewis base. The adsorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM, XRD, BET, elemental and zeta potential analysis. XRD illustrated Ti-CSMIP exhibited a weak anatase phase when Ti4+ cross-linked with chitosan. Batch adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate adsorption condition, including sorption isotherm, kinetics and reusability. The maximum adsorption capacity of Ti-CSMIP for X-3B was 161.1 mg/g at 293 K when solution pH was in the range of 6.0-7.0. Equilibrium data was well analyzed by three-parameter isotherm model, and the kinetics of adsorption followed the pseudo-second kinetics equation. Regeneration experiments indicated a possible application as an effective sorbent for the selective removal of azo anionic dye in aqueous solutions. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.