Hydrophobically modified O-carboxymethylchitosan derivatives were synthesized through a reaction with lauroyl chloride and applied for adsorption of congo red dye. The Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm model was found to be the most suitable one for the VC adsorption and maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 281.97 mg g-1 at a pH value of 7.0 for HL 1.0. The adsorption process follows the pseudo-second-order kinetics and the corresponding rate constants were obtained. The thermodynamic parameters showed that adsorption process is spontaneous (positive ∆Hº) and favorable (negative ∆Gº). The hydrophobic derivatives are able to adsorb the dye even in high pH values.

The removal of As(V) by a crosslinked iron(III)-chitosan adsorbent was evaluated under various conditions. The adsorption capacity of CH-FeCL was around 54 mg/g of As(V). The kinetics of adsorption obeys a pseudo-first-order model with rate constants equal to 0.022, 0.028, and 0.033 min-1 at 15, 25 and 35 ºC respectively. Adsorption data were well described by the Langmuir model, although they could be modeled also by the Langmuir-Freundlich equation. The maximum adsorption capacity, calculated with the Langmuir model, was 127 mg g-1 of As(V). The inhibition by competing anions is dependant on their kind and valence.

Mostramos neste trabalho alguns detalhes sobre a imobilização de complexos ferrocianeto e ferricianeto sobre a superfície do biopolímero quitosana. Os complexos imobilizados foram caracterizados por eletroquimica, espectrocopia de infravermelho e Mössbauer. Foi observado mudanças nos espectros de infravermelho e Mössbauer, e no voltamogramas cíclicos do material preparado com ferricianeto após exposição a luz do sol. Estas alterações indicam que o ferricianeto sofreu um processo de redução fotoinduzida na superfícies do biopolímero.

We report some details of the ferrocyanide and ferricyanide complexes immobilized in chitosan. These immobilized complexes are characterized by electrochemistry, and infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Alterations are observed in the infrared and Mössbauer spectra and in the cyclic voltammograms of the material prepared with ferricyanide when this material is irradiated with sunlight. These alterations indicate that the ferricyanide ion undergoes a photoinductive reduction on the biopolymeric surface.