Preparation of copper acetate/chitosan gel material and its adsorption performance and mechanism analysis for methyl orange dye wastewater

Abstract

Copper acetate/chitosan gel material was prepared for adsorption treatment of methyl orange dye wastewater. The prepared copper acetate/chitosan gel was well characterized via SEM and FT-IR to reveal the microstructure and composition. Besides, the adsorption performance and mechanism analysis of copper acetate/chitosan gel were investigated. The study on the ability to adsorb methyl orange showed that the adsorption capacity of copper acetate/chitosan gel was related to the coordination activity of amino and hydroxyl groups of copper acetate/chitosan gel. When the ratio of copper acetate/chitosan gel is 1:2, as the highest coordination activity, the adsorption capacity of methyl orange (465 mg/g) can reach the maximum. Furthermore, the adsorption process at equilibrium followed the Freundlich isotherm model. The kinetic behavior was well fitted by the pseudo-first-order model, indicating physical adsorption as a dominant role. This work can provide a reliable basis for adsorbents to remove recalcitrant dye pollutants, and has potential application in simultaneously adsorbing complex liquid pollutants.