Boron Sorption and Removal Using Hybrid Hydrogel Beads

Boron is an essential element for plants and living organisms; however, excessive amount of boron may lead to lowering or even destroying the crops and cause nervous system diseases in humans. To meet the need for reducing the amount of boron in the environment, hybrid bio-sorbent beads of chitosan and manganese (Mn–CTS) were prepared by an encapsulation technique and used for the efficient removal of the excess of boron from an aqueous solution. The sorption process was carried out in a batch system. The effect of pH, time and initial boron concentration on the sorption was studied. The results proved that Mn–CTS removed boric acid from aqueous solution efficiently at pH 7 and at the sorption time of 2 h achieving the maximum sorption capacity of 187 ± 10 mg/g. The successful introduction of manganese to the chitosan backbone and boron sorption via a complexation mechanism was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy. Due to its high-performance boron sorption and its convenient form, Mn–CTS hybrid seems to be a promising bio-sorbent for water treatment.