Magnetic kaolinite immobilized chitosan beads for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from an aqueous environment.

In recent decades, magnetic bead material has attracted considerable attention in water and wastewater purification. In this study, the potential of magnetic kaolinite immobilized in chitosan beads (MKa@CB) to remove Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from an aqueous environment has been successfully investigated. The addition of magnetic kaolinite generates more active sites, whereas that of chitosan enhances the stability of synthesized bead materials, which enable them to effectively interact with the targeted contaminants. Various factors including agitation time, solution pH, and competitive ions were examined to optimize the removal efficiency of the MKa@CB. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies indicated that the adsorption fitted well to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model as well as to the Langmuir isotherm. The prepared adsorbent could be reused up to four cycles without any significant adsorption capacity loss. Thus, the synthesized MKa@4%CB can be a promising adsorbent in effectively removing Pb(II) and Cd(II) from water.