Production and characterization of derived composite biosorbents from animal bone

Composite biosorbents were produced from animal bone by carbonization, activation of animal bone char with phosphoric acid and zinc (II) chloride independently, and the obtained activated carbons were separately impregnated on chitosan. The chitosan was produced from chitin, which was extracted from shrimp shell through deminerization, deproteinization and deacetylation processes. Comprehensive characterization studies were carried out on the chitin, chitosan, and the resulting five biosorbents via proximate and ultimate analyses, and Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Electron-dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) analyses. The absorption bands of the standard chitosan from Sigma-Aldrich and the experimentally prepared chitosan were in excellent agreement. The results of this study showed that activated carbons impregnated on chitosan have the potential to be applied as alternative efficient low-cost and eco-friendly biosorbents for batch and continuous adsorption column experimentation. Key words: Biosorbents, chemical activation, chitin, chitosan, impregnation, characterization.