Removal of dyes from water using chitosan hydrogel/SiO2 and chitin hydrogel/SiO2 hybrid materials obtained by the sol-gel method.

This work describes the synthesis of chitosan hydrogel/SiO(2) and chitin hydrogel/SiO(2) hybrid mesoporous materials obtained by the sol-gel method for their use as biosorbents. Their adsorption capabilities against four dyes (Remazol Black B, Erythrosine B, Neutral Red and Gentian Violet) were compared in order to evaluate chitin as a plausible replacement for chitosan considering its efficiency and lower cost. Both chitin and chitosan were used in the form of hydrogels. This allowed full compatibility with the ethanol release from tetraethoxysilane. The hybrid materials were characterized by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Nitrogen Adsorption Isotherms and (13)C solid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Adsorption experimental data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models along with the evaluation of adsorption energy and standard free energy (ΔG(0)). The adsorption was observed to be pH dependent. The main mechanism of dye adsorption was found to be a spontaneous charge associated interaction, except for EB adsorption on chitin/SiO(2) matrix, which showed to involve a lower energy physical adsorption interaction. Aside from highly charged dyes the chitin containing matrix has similar or higher adsorption capacity than the chitosan one.