Green synthesis of a novel functionalized chitosan adsorbent for Cu(II) adsorption from aqueous solution

Pollution generated by heavy metals has become a global environmental issue with much public concern. Herein, a functionalized chitosan-based adsorbent (CS-PAR) was synthesized via a simple one-step method for the adsorption of copper ions in solutions. A series of characterization methods have shown that CS-PAR was successfully synthesized. The experimental results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of CS-PAR for Cu(II) ions was 170.23 mg/g. The adsorption process of Cu(II) on CS-PAR conformed to Langmuir and pseudo second-order models and belonged to a single-layer chemical adsorption process on the surface of a homogeneous medium. The adsorption mechanism of the adsorbent to Cu(II) ions was the complexation between the N-containing functional groups existing on the surface of the adsorbent and Cu(II). These results also showed that the adsorbent was an efficient material for removing heavy metal copper in wastewater and had very important practical significance.