Abstract
In this paper, crosslinking polymerization of chitosan with glutaraldehyde in the presence of zinc oxide nanoparticles was utilized for the synthesis of chitosan/glutaraldehyde/zinc oxide as a novel composite. The fabricated composite was characterized using some tools such as SEM, XRD, TGA, and BET. The successful formation of the chitosan/glutaraldehyde/zinc oxide composite was evidenced through the appearance of one broad XRD peaks at 2 theta = 23.50 degrees. Besides, the obvious destruction of the crystalline structure of zinc oxide has confirmed the successful formation of the composite. The FE-SEM images displayed that the surface of chitosan/glutaraldehyde/zinc oxide composite was wrinkled and rough, while the chitosan was dense and smooth, indicating important change in the morphology of the chitosan/glutaraldehyde/zinc oxide composite owing to the crosslinking of glutaraldehyde with chitosan and incorporation of ZnO. The BET surface area, average pore radius, and total pore volume of the chitosan/glutaraldehyde/zinc oxide composite are 32.50 m(2)/g, 39.36 angstrom, and 0.06 cc/g, respectively. The synthesized composite was operated for the efficient removal of eriochrome black T dye from aqueous media where its adsorption capacity is 1201.42 mg/g. The adsorption process of eriochrome black T dye obeys the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order model. Also, the adsorption process of eriochrome black T dye is endothermic, chemical, and spontaneous. The analytical influences that achieved the highest % removal of eriochrome black T dye are observed at pH 2, contact time = 140 min, and temperature = 318 K.