Adsorptive Sequestration of Cr(VI) using Chitosan-GBFS Composite

Abstract

Granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS)chitosan crosslinked with epichlorohydrin was synthesized and applied for enhanced adsorption of hexavalent chromium from industrial effluent. The Chitosan-GBFS composite (Ch-GB) obtained was extensively characterized using instrumental techniques like FTIR, XRD, SEM-EDX etc. The composite showed adsorption capacity of 125.3 mg/g in accordance with Freundlich isotherm model at pH 3.0 due to presence of multiple sites which contribute for ion-pair and electrostatic interactions with Cr(VI) species. The sorption kinetics and thermodynamic studies revealed that adsorption of Cr(VI) followed by pseudo-second-order kinetics with exothermic and spontaneous behavior. The adsorbent was tested for regeneration for 5 adsorptiondesorption cycles. The adsorbent could be regenerated and reused, which makes the study more environment friendly.