Adsorption and equilibrium studies on removal of copper(II) by chitin

Department of Chemistry, Gandhigram Rural Institute-Deemed University, Gandhigram-624 302, lndia

E-mail: drg_karthikcyan@rcdiffmail.com                     Fax : 91-451-2454466

Manuscript received 14 October 2003, revised 9 March 2004, accepted 16 July 2004

The adsorption of Cu²⁺ ions by chitin was studied in alkaline, neutral and acidic media and also under different experimental conditions like contact time, particle size of the adsorbent, pH of the medium and temperature to establish the optimum conditions. The effect of temperature on the adsorption process was verified by batch equilibration method. The experimental results revealed that the adsorption occurred as a spontaneous one. The equilibrium and activation parameters of the adsorption reaction were determined to assess the nature of adsorption. The adsorption increased with temperature. The results imply that the adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous.