Adsorptive removal of fluoride using ionic liquid-functionalized chitosan - Equilibrium and mechanism studies

In this study, novel biosorbents, based on chitosan and imidazolium ionic liquid, were prepared for the removal of fluoride from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents were characterized by FTIR, SEM-EDS and low-temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption. To investigate the adsorption mechanism and behavior of chitosan adsorbents, batch experiments were conducted under different adsorbent dosages (2, 4, 10 g/L), pH (4, 7, 9) and initial concentration (0.5-25.0 mg/L). The influence of the method of synthesis of ionic liquid on the adsorption performance were also studied. Experimental data were evaluated by Freundlich, Langmuir and Sips models. The introduction of ionic liquid significantly improved the uptake of fluoride compared to pure chitosan. The adsorption was influenced by the experimental conditions, as well as the method of ionic liquid synthesis. The highest fluoride removal was observed at pH 4 and found to decrease with increasing pH. The removal efficiency and adsorption capacity values indicated that the dose of 4 g/L was the optimum adsorbent dosage. The equilibrium data fitted best with the Sips isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity reached 8.068 mg/g for modified chitosan beads. The mechanism of fluoride adsorption onto ionic liquid-modified chitosan involves electrostatic attraction, ion exchange and ion pair interaction.