What is it about?
The removal of toxic metals, such as lead (Pb), from drinking and wastewater is crucial for protecting the environment and ensuring the well-being of populations in both developed and developing countries. Composites made from geological materials, such as clays, and biodegradable polymers, are a promising adsorbent for purifying water contaminated with toxic metals. This paper investigated the efficiency of mixing bentonite with chitosan via two different preparation methods, subsequently the different forms of composites made were investigated for their ability to remove toxic Pb from aqueous solution.
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Why is it important?
Our study provides novel insights into understanding the interactions between clays and biopolymers, as well as their role as adsorbents for pollution control. In addition, our results demonstrate a highly efficient, sustainable, and reusable method for removing lead (Pb) ions from water, with a removal efficiency of 99.9% and a recovery rate of over 80%.
Perspectives
Writing this article was a great pleasure as I had the opportunity to work with co-authors who are experts in their individual fields and with whom I collaborated during my PhD research. This article could also appeal to anyone interested in the areas of inexpensive remediation of water sources contaminated with toxic metals (such as Pb), especially when using composites made from cheap and sustainable materials. Furthermore, heavy metal contamination in water sources is a serious ongoing issue worldwide, and this article helps to address pertinent solutions.
Dr Hassan Majiya
Sheffield Hallam University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Bentonite-Chitosan composites or beads for lead (Pb) adsorption: Design, preparation, and characterisation, Applied Clay Science, December 2023, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.clay.2023.107180.
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