Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.51, No.17, 5939-5946, 2012
Chitosan Supported onto Agave Fiber-Postconsumer HDPE Composites for Cr(VI) Adsorption
Composites of high-density polyethylene and agave fibers coated with chitosan were used as adsorbent for Cr(VI). The adsorptions were made in batch and continuous systems. Different kinetic models were used to characterize the batch adsorption and to determine the adsorption capacity of the compound. To test the composite regeneration/reuse capability, the chromium content in the composite material was desorbed using different acids. The coated composites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), and X-ray photoelectric spectroscopy (XPS). From the results it was found that the composite has a maximum adsorption capacity of 200 mg Cr(VI)/g of chitosan at pH 4. Sulfuric acid proved to be a good desorbent of Cr(VI), allowing the material to be reused while keeping its adsorption properties. Finally, the results showed that the continuous system has higher sorption capacity than the batch system; it was determined that the system needs a minimum retention time of 20 mm in order to use the material in the treatment of contaminated effluents.