Chemical modification of chitin with polypyrrole for the uptake of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions.

This study described the possibility of using chemically modified chitin with polypyrrole (PPy-g-Ch) as an adsorbent for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from aqueous solution. The PPy-g-Ch was characterized using FTIR, SEM, EDX, XRD, TGA and DSC techniques. The influence of various parameters such as pH, dosage, co-ions, contact time and concentration on the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions was investigated. Among the various isotherm models studied, the Freundlich isotherm model fitted well to the equilibrium data. The magnitude of ΔG(0), ΔH(0) and ΔS(0) indicated the feasibility, spontaneity and the endothermic nature of the adsorption process, respectively. The kinetic process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The applicability of the PPy-g-Ch has been tested for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions from a real water sample spiked with Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions.