Investigating the effect of SDS-modified Chitosan beads on the removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions

Abstract

Heavy metals are dangerous to the environment and to living things as they are highly toxic and can lead to severe diseases. In this study, an anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) was added chitosan to form beads and evaluated for their ability to remove heavy metal ions from solutions. The various compositions of chitosan-SDS beads were characterized for their structure and morphology using Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and their adsorption of Copper and Nickel by Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV Vis). The beads are immersed in Nickel (II) Sulfate solution and Copper (II) Sulfate solution for an hour and samples are taken at an interval of 5 minutes. It was found that higher concentration of SDS are effective in removing metal ions but lower concentration of SDS do not remove metal ions as effectively as Chitosan. Increasing the SDS concentration will increase the surface negative charge of the Chitosan-SDS beads which will lead to higher metal ion removal.