Preparation and characterization of poly aniline modified chitosan embedded with ZnO-Fe3O4 for Cu(II) removal from aqueous solution.

Poly aniline modified chitosan embedded with ZnO/Fe3O4 nanocomposites were synthesized using a precipitation method and applied to the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. The synthesized nanocomposite was characterized by FT-IR, XRD, FESEM, TEM, EDS, TGA, BET and zeta-potential analyses. The adsorption batch experiments were conducted as a function of five effective parameters including pH, contact time, initial concentration of copper, temperature, and adsorbent dosage using a central composite design (CCD) in response surface methodology (RSM). Contour and surface plots were used to determine the interaction effects of main factors and optimum conditions of process. The regression equation coefficients were calculated and the data confirmed the validity of second-order polynomial equation for the removal of Cu(II) with novel absorbent. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a high coefficient of determination value (R2) for copper removal being 0.99. The optimum level of the pH, temperature, initial concentration of copper, adsorbent dosage and contact time for maximum Cu(II) removal (94.51%) were found to be 6.5, 31 °C, 82 mg L-1, 0.81 g L-1, and 51 min, respectively. It was confirmed from XPS and EDS analyses that heavy metal ions were present on the surface of nanocomposite after adsorption. The adsorption equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model and the adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion kinetic model. The saturated adsorption capacity is found to be 328.4 mg/g. Thermodynamics analysis suggests that the adsorption process is endothermic, with increasing entropy and spontaneous in nature. Further recycling experiments show that nanocomposite still retains 95% of the original adsorption following the 5th adsorption-desorption cycle. The effects of coexist cation ions on the adsorption of Cu(II) was also investigated under optimal condition. All the results demonstrate that nanocomposite is a potential recyclable adsorbent for hazardous metal ions in wastewater.