Chitosan microspheres/sodium alginate hybrid beads: an efficient green adsorbent for heavy metals removal from aqueous solutions

Heavy metal toxicity has demonstrated to be a crucial issue for environment and human health. There has been an increasing ecological and global public health concern related with environmental contamination by these metals. For these reasons, a considerable attention has been paid to design efficient materials for heavy metal removal. This article offers a solution to develop a green adsorbent based on Chitosan Microspheres/Sodium Alginate hybrid beads (CSM/SA) for metal ion elimination from aqueous solutions. The efficiency of this eco-friendly material was divulged using kinetic study for Cr(VI) and Pb(II) removal. Properties of the obtained hybrid beads were improved by correlation between original chitosan microspheres and sodium alginate. Moreover, at different metal concentration, pH solution and contact time, the beads were evaluated in discharged batch operations from Pb(II) and Cr(VI). The maximum adsorption capacity was 180 mg g− 1 for Pb(II) and 16 mg g− 1 for Cr(VI). The adsorption kinetics were evaluated using pseudo-first and pseudo-second rate models. Adsorption isotherms were simulated by Langmuir and Freundlich models. This study indicates that the CSM/SA hybrid beads could be developed into a very sustainable technology for highly effective elimination of metal ions from wastewater.