Removal of copper(II) using deacetylated konjac glucomannan conjugated soy protein isolate

In this study, an environmentally friendly biosorbent deacetylated konjac glucomannan conjugated soy protein isolate (abbreviated as DKGM-C-SPI) was prepared for Cu(2+) ions removal from aqueous solution. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and zeta potential analysis revealed successful conjugation of soy protein isolate (SPI) onto deacetylated konjac glucomannan (DKGM) matrix. A comparative adsorption performance of DKGM-C-SPI and DKGM was tested to remove Cu(2+) ions from aqueous solution. DKGM-C-SPI showed the desired adsorption performance for Cu(2+) ions. The adsorption equilibrium of DKGM-C-SPI was achieved within 30 min. The adsorption behavior of DKGM-C-SPI followed a pseudo-second-order reaction model. The maximum Cu(2+) ion adsorption capacities obtained from the Langmuir isotherms fit were shown to be 62.50 mg g(-1) for DKGM-C-SPI and 12.23 mg g(-1) for DKGM. This impressive increase about 5 times in Cu(2+) ion adsorption capacity is attributed to the strong Cu(2+) ion chelating ability of the soy protein isolate (SPI) on the DKGM matrix. These results confirm that the DKGM-C-SPI biosorbent has a potential for Cu(2+) ion extraction from wastewater.