Development of a New Eco-Friendly Copolymer Based on Chitosan for Enhanced Removal of Pb and Cd from Water

Worldwide, concerns about heavy metal contamination from manmade and natural sources have increased in recent decades. Metals released into the environment threaten human health, mostly due to their integration into the food chain and persistence. Nature offers a large range of materials with different functionalities, providing also a source of inspiration for scientists working in the field of material synthesis. In the current study, a new type of copolymer is introduced, which was synthesized for the first time by combining chitosan and poly(benzofurane-co-arylacetic acid), for use in the adsorption of toxic heavy metals. Such naturally derived materials can be easily and inexpensively synthesized and separated by simple filtration, thus becoming an attractive alternative solution for wastewater treatment. The new copolymer was investigated by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photon electron microscopy. Flame atomic absorption spectrometry was utilized to measure heavy metal concentrations in the investigated samples. Equilibrium isotherms, kinetic 3D models, and artificial neural networks were applied to the experimental data to characterize the adsorption process. Additional adsorption experiments were performed using metal-contaminated water samples collected in two seasons (summer and winter) from two former mining areas in Romania (Roșia Montană and Novăț-Borșa). The results demonstrated high (51–97%) adsorption efficiency for Pb and excellent (95–100%) for Cd, after testing on stock solutions and contaminated water samples. The recyclability study of the copolymer indicated that the removal efficiency decreased to 89% for Pb and 58% for Cd after seven adsorption–desorption cycles.