Fabrication of a novel hybrid biocomposite based on amino-thiocarbamate derivative of alginate/carboxymethyl chitosan/TiO2 for Ni(II) recovery

A novel hybrid biocomposite based on amino-thiocarbamate derivative of alginate, carboxymethyl chitosan and TiO2 (TiO2/TSC-CMC) was fabricated and characterized using Fourier transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The TiO2/TSC-CMC mass ratio (5.0–30.0%) was optimized and 3TiO2/TSC-CMC (hydrogel beads with TiO2/TSC-CMC mass ratio of 20.0%) was selected as the best sorbent for effective biosorption of Ni(II). Batch sorption experiments were conducted, instantaneous and equilibrium sorption capacities were investigated as function of pH, sorbent dose, initial metal concentration, contact time and temperature. Kinetic data could be well explained through pseudo second order rate equation (PSORE) depicting that the rate determining step involves the transfer of electron density from sorbent functional sites to central metal ion. Langmuir model fitted well with isothermal sorption data and maximum monolayer sorption capacity (qm) was computed as 172 mg/g at pH 6.0 and temperature 298 K. The values of thermodynamic parameters such as standard enthalpy change (16.94 kJ/mol) and standard Gibbs energy change (−18.67, −19.48, −20.57, and −21.38 kJ/mol) and standard entropy change (0.12 kJ/mol·K) concluded that sorption process is endothermic, spontaneous and resulted with increase in randomness. Hence, 3TiO2/TSC-CMC was found efficient and reusable sorbent.