Use of sawdust immobilised on chitosan for disposal of dyes from water solutions

In this article, the sorption properties of chitosan hydrogel beads, beech sawdust and sawdust immobilised on chitosan in relation to Reactive Black 5 (RB5) and Basic Violet 10 (BV10) dyes were compared. In the conducted research, the sorption capacities of the sorbents, sorption pH and the point of zero charge (pHZPC) were determined. For the description of the obtained results, the double Langmuir model has been used. The highest effectiveness of the cationic and anionic dye removal on chitosan hydrogel beads and sawdust immobilised on chitosan was obtained at pH 4, whereas on sawdust, the pH was 3. The best sorbent in relation to the RB5 dye was obtained using chitosan hydrogel beads, and in relation to BV10, it was sawdust. The maximum sorption capacity of chitosan in relation to RB5 was 875.66 mg/g, whereas the sorption capacity of sawdust in relation to BV10 was 30.15 mg/g. The research has shown that the sorbent in the form of sawdust immobilised on chitosan had a high sorption capacity in relation to anionic as well as cationic dyes. Immobilisation of sawdust on chitosan led to the creation of a universal sorbent in relation to cationic and anionic dyes.