Chitosan Hydrogels Crosslinked With Glutaraldehyde for Potential Toxic Elements Removal: Batch and Purification Device Analysis

ABSTRACT The presence of toxic metal ions in contaminated wastewater raises significant concerns for human health. Three‐dimensional porous systems like hydrogels are being explored for contaminant removal. Still, there is a lack of understanding of their production parameters and performance. Therefore, the present work investigates the production parameters of chitosan hydrogels using the design of experiments methodology. Hydrogels were developed by solubilizing chitosan in acetic acid solution and cross‐linked using glutaraldehyde, varying its proportions. The formulation containing 2% chitosan and 1% glutaraldehyde has water absorption superior to 300% and potential for metal removal, particularly copper and chromium. Crosslinking was validated by FTIR analysis, and the obtained hydrogel presented a highly porous structure. Kinetic studies showed a better fit to a pseudo‐second order, and the Langmuir isotherm presented the best fit, showing sorption capacities of 0.422 and 1.143 mmol g −1 for copper and chromium, respectively. Filtration tests demonstrated that a 0.25 mL/min flow rate provided the best performance, with an initial fast removal that stabilizes. In addition, the weight and design used directly influence the adsorption properties. Results show that chitosan‐based hydrogels can potentially remove metal contaminants. A filtering system is a feasible alternative for developing a low‐cost, efficient, and environmentally friendly system.