Adsorption of hexavalent chromium and divalent lead ions on the nitrogen-enriched chitosan-based activated carbon

Optimizing the physicochemical properties of the chitosan-based activated carbon (Ch-ACs) can greatly enhance its performance toward heavy metal removal from contaminated water. Herein, Ch was converted into a high surface area (1556 m²/g) and porous (0.69 cm³/g) ACs with large content of nitrogen (~16 wt%) using K₂CO₃ activator and urea as nitrogen-enrichment agents. The prepared Ch-ACs were tested for the removal of Cr(VI) and Pb(II) at different pH, initial metal ions concentration, time, activated carbon dosage, and temperature. For Cr(VI), the best removal was at pH = 2, while for Pb(II) the best pH for its removal was in the range of 4–6. At 25^◦C, the Temkin model gives the best fit for the adsorption of Cr(VI), while the Langmuir model was found to be better for Pb(II) ions. The kinetics of adsorption of both heavy metal ions were found to be well-fitted by a pseudo-second-order model. The findings show that the efficiency and the green properties (availability, recyclability, and cost effectiveness) of the developed adsorbent made it a good candidate for wastewaters treatment. As preliminary work, the prepared sorbent was also tested regarding the removal of heavy metals and other contaminations from real wastewater and the obtained results were found to be promising.