article · Polymers
A polymer bio-composite combining chitosan and nano-hydroxyapatite has been developed to extract toxic cadmium ions from water. Testing confirmed that the crystalline structure of the nano-hydroxyapatite remained intact during production and that the composite was successfully formed. In performance evaluations, the composite achieved a maximum cadmium uptake of 126.65 milligrams per gram under optimised conditions, outperforming untreated chitosan. The adsorption mechanism involves chemical bonding and operates as an endothermic, spontaneous process. Crucially for practical implementation, the material showed strong reusability, recording only about a three percent decline in cadmium uptake across five successive regeneration cycles. The composite provides an eco-friendly and cost-effective approach for addressing heavy metal contamination in water systems.
Cadmium is a hazardous heavy metal that poses severe risks to human health and natural ecosystems when present in water supplies. Developing low-cost, bio-based materials that can capture these pollutants effectively and withstand multiple rounds of reuse provides a sustainable way to treat contaminated water without relying on complex or environmentally harmful chemicals.
This technology offers an eco-friendly water treatment material for municipal water managers or industrial wastewater operators needing to clear toxic heavy metals. The demonstrated capacity and high stability across five reuse cycles show technical promise. However, because the findings reflect laboratory-scale batch experiments under controlled conditions, the composite remains at an early stage of research and requires pilot testing before industrial or municipal deployment.
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A novel polymer bio-composite based on nano-hydroxyapatite (n-Hap) and chitosan (CS) (CS/n-Hap) was synthesized to effectively address toxic cadmium ions removal from water. The composition and structure of CS/n-Hap bio-composite were analyzed through different characterization techniques. XRD patterns affirmed that the crystalline structure of n-Hap remained unaltered during CS/n-Hap synthesis, while FT-IR spectrum sustained all the characteristic peaks of both CS and n-Hap, affirming the successful synthesis of CS/n-Hap. Adsorption studies, including pH, adsorbent dosage, contact time, initial Cd(II) concentration, and temperature, were carried out to explain and understand the adsorption mechanism. Comparatively, CS/n-Hap bio-composite exhibited better Cd(II) adsorption capacity than pristine CS, with an experimental maximum uptake of 126.65 mg/g under optimized conditions. In addition, the kinetic data were well fitted to the pseudo-second-order model, indicating the formation of chemical bonds between Cd(II) and CS/n-Hap during adsorption. Furthermore, the thermodynamic study suggested that Cd(II) adsorption onto CS/n-Hap was endothermic and spontaneous. The regeneration study showed only about a 3% loss in Cd(II) uptake by CS/n-Hap after five consecutive cycles. Thus, a simple and facile approach was here developed to synthesize an eco-friendly and cost-effective material that can be successfully employed for the removal of toxic heavy metal ions from water.
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DOI: 10.3390/polym15061524
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