Chitosan is very efficient at removing vanadium from dilute solutions: sorption capacity can reach
400−450 mg V g-1 under optimum experimental conditions, which correspond to pH 3. In acidic solutions,
the chitosan's amine groups are protonated, and vanadate anions can be exchanged with counterions
bound to −NH3
+ sites. A correlation is observed between the speciation diagram and the sorption isotherms,
and it appears that decavanadate species are more favorable to sorption than other anionic vanadate
species. Selecting experimental conditions under which decavanadate ions are the predominant form of
vanadium results in enhanced sorption capacities and improved sorption kinetics. The results obtained
in the study of vanadate desorption confirm the high affinity of chitosan for these polyoxoanions.
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