Abstract
An isatin functionalized chitosan derived ion-imprinted adsorbent (Cu-CIS) was designed by tailoring Cu(II) ions imprinted cavities within the modified polysaccharide network matrix that are able to capture Cu(II) ions selectively in aqueous solution. The chelating power of chitosan toward the Cu(II) ions was first enhanced via isatin functionalization, which was cross-linked using epichlorohydrin (ECH) after loading the Cu(II) ions. The selective metal ions binding sites are then formed by eluting the coordinated Cu(II) ions using EDTA to finally produce the Cu-CIS selective sorbent. The equilibrium isotherms have been utilized to anticipate the maximum capacity of the Cu-CIS sorbent and compare it with that of the blank non-imprinted sorbent NI-CIS. In addition, the significance of inserting the Cu(II) ions recognition cavities within the adsorbent matrix was pointed out by performing the adsorption in a multi-ionic solution mixture containing Co(II), Ni(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) and Cu(II) ions and the obtained selectivity coefficients in case of Cu-CIS revealed remarkable selectivity potentials toward the Cu(II) ions compared to NI-CIS. Moreover, at the consecutive performance of a Cu-CIS absorbent for five cycles, it was found that it still held 97% of its initial capacity enabling promising applications in both water treatment and Cu (II) ions recycling.