Preparation and Characterization of Periwinkle Shell Based Chitosan-Kenaf fibre Copolymer and its Derivatives for Selective Binding of Cu (II) and Zn (II) ions from Electroplating Effluent

Abstract

The levels of heavy metal in industrial waste streams, if not remediated before discharge to eco-system, could pose a threat to flora and fauna. The objective of this study was to evaluate the suitability of a novel adsorbent materials from periwinkle shell-based chitosan-kenaf fibre copolymer and its ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether crosslinked derivatives for the selective removal of Cu²⁺and Zn²⁺ from electroplating effluent using batch experimental protocol. Results showed that the crosslinked copolymers were more effective for the sorption of these metal ions from effluent solution with percentage sorption range of 76-87% and 84-93% for Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ respectively. Kinetic data depicts pseudo-second-order model fits for the adsorbent materials and confirm chemosorption as the mechanism for metal ion complexation with adsorbent surfaces. Based on R² correlation values, sorption of the metal ions by the pristine adsorbent materials fit well with Langmuir isotherm model, in contrast, those for crosslinked adsorbent materials were best described by Freundlich isotherm model. The results present the adsorbent materials with auspicious potentials, especially the crosslinked derivatives, and stand them in exceptional good stead as suitable bioresource materials for column packing in waste abatement equipment for remediation of these metal ions from electroplating effluent solution.