Abstract
Chitosan-multi-walled carbon nanotubes nanocomposite (Ch-MWCNT) with ratio 2:1 was synthesized by the sonication process, characterized, and utilized in water treatment for heavy metals adsorption compared to pure multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) under different adsorption conditions. The ability of Ch-MWCNT in removing heavy metals from an aqueous solution was studied and the results indicate the order of metal ion removal was Cu2+ > Pd2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+. The results also indicate the successful potential of chitosan to overcome the adsorption limitation of pure MWCNT in all studied adsorption conditions. Desorption study was studied by recovering the adsorbed metal ions from Ch-MWCNT under different desorption conditions and the results indicate that Cd2+ ion was the most desorbed metal ion from Ch-MWCNT at pH 2 after 2 h desorption time.