Adsorption Mechanism of Composite Whisker on Copper Ions and Lead Ions

A new kind of inorganic composite adsorbent based on chitin whiskers(CHW) and potassium tetratitanate whiskers(PTW) was synthesized via the thermal deposition to remove Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ from wastewater. CHW could be successfully coated on the surface of PTW when thermal treated 8 times. The adsorption process was better fitted with the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The adsorption process was more conformed to the Pseudo-second-order model. The results from XPS(X-ray photoelectron spectrum) further show that the adsorption mechanism between CHW-PTW and Cu²⁺, Pb²⁺ are both ion exchange and chemical adsorption. Thermodynamic parameters suggest that the adsorption processes are nonspontaneous. The adsorption of Cu²⁺ and Pb²⁺ is endothermic and exothermic, respectively.