Adsorption Kinetics of Zn(II) from Aqueous Solutions onto Epichlorohydrin Crosslinked Chitosan

Chitosan was crosslinked using epichlorohydrin as crosslinking agent to prepare crosslinked chitosan which was used as an adsorbent for the removal of Zn(II) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption prosperities of Zn(II) on crosslinked chitosan were studied, including the influence of pH value and the adsorption kinetics. The kinetics of adsorption was discussed using two kinetic models, the pseudo first-order and the pseudo second-order model. Results reveal that the crosslinked chitosan is suitable as adsorbent to remove Zn(II) from dilute solution. The rate parameters for the Zn(II) by crosslinked chitosan were also determined. It was shown that the adsorption kinetics of Zn(II) could be best described by the pseudo second-order model and the adsorption process may involve a physical adsorption.