Competitive biosorption of azo dyes from aqueous solution on the templated crosslinked-chitosan nanoparticles

The nanoparticles of templated crosslinked chitosan, ECH-RB5 and ECH-3R, were prepared through the imprinting process using Remazol Black 5 (RB5) and Remazol Brilliant Orange 3R (3R) dyes, respectively, as templates and ECH as a crosslinker. The nanoparticles exhibited significantly higher adsorption capacities of the dyes than other nanoparticles formed without a dye template and with three crosslinkers (ECH, GLA, and EGDE). The adsorption of the dyes on the nanoparticles was affected by the initial pH, dye concentration, and temperature. The results were in accordance with the second-order and the Langmuir adsorption models. Meanwhile, the E values of the dyes calculated using the Dubinnin-Radushkevich model revealed that the adsorption process may be due to the dual nature of the process, physisorption and chemisorption, and that adsorption was predominant in the chemisorption process. The adsorption processes in the nanoparticles were spontaneous and exothermic. Moreover, competition adsorption through analysis of the intraparticle diffusion model apparently favored the 3R dye more than the RB5 dye on the nanoparticles in mixture solution B. The nanoparticles for the adsorption of the dyes were regenerated efficiently through the alkaline solution and were then reused for dye removal.