Synthesis of a chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/activate carbon biocomposite for removal of hexavalent chromium from aqueous solution

In this study, a biocomposite of chitosan/poly vinyl alcohol/activated carbon was synthesized and used for hexavalent chrome removal from aqueous solution. The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis. The effect of important variables such as pH, concentration, contact time, temperature, and adsorbent dosage was investigated. The value of pH_PZC for the adsorbent was evaluated at 4.9. Results showed that adsorption of chrome onto the adsorbent follows the Langmuir isotherm model and has a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum capacity of chrome adsorption was determined 109.89 (mg/g) according to the Langmuir isotherm model. According to adsorption results, the removal percentage of chrome increases with increasing the activated carbon content in the biocomposite, the adsorbent dosage, and decreasing the initial chrome concentration, pH, and temperature. The results showed that the synthesized adsorbent can be used as an effective adsorbent for chrome removal from aqueous solutions.