Alginate modified collagen for rapid, durable and effective biosorption of Pb (II) ions from an aqueous solution

The aim of this study is to define the biosorption properties of Alginate, AC1 and AC2 beads composed of collagen obtained from sea urchin Diadema setosum and alginate obtained from Sargassum vulgare, for Pb (II) from aqueous solutions. Raw alginate beads (A), 2:1 alginate-modified-collagen beads (AC1), and 3:1 alginate-modified collagen beads (AC2) were successfully synthesized, characterized, and removal capacity of Pb (II) in aqueous solutions studied. The biosorption of Pb (II) ions by the synthesized beads was studied and the effect of parameters such as initial concentration, contact time, and solution pH on the biosorption of Pb (II) ions was investigated. Langmuir isotherm model provides satisfactory estimations of homogeneous monolayer biosorption capacity, the highest Pb (II) determined values being 248.76 mg/g for Alginate beads, 344.83 mg/g for AC1 beads, and 303.03 mg/g for AC2 beads. Moreover, AC1 beads were determined to be homogeneous monolayer and multilayer at two different stages. In the former stage, Pb (II) were quickly diffused to the outer surface of absorbent, and in the latter stage, ions were slowly biosorbed to the inner surface. The results obtained in this study showed that Alginate, AC1 and AC2 beads can be used effectively to remove Pb (II) ions from aqueous solutions. Another finding from this study was that the AC1 beads did not disintegration and significantly swelled in size relative to the other beads. Another important finding of this study was that AC1 beads were not deformed and increased in size.