Adsorption and preconcentration of divalent metal ions in fossil fuels and biofuels: Gasoline, diesel, biodiesel, diesel-like and ethanol by using chitosan microspheres and thermodynamic approach

Biodiesel and diesel-like have been obtained from soybean oil by transesterification and thermal cracking process, respectively. These biofuels were characterized as according to ANP standards by using specific ASTM methods. Ethanol, gasoline, and diesel were purchased from a gas station. Deacetylation degree of chitosan was determined by three distinct methods (conductimetry, FTIR and NMR), and the average degree was 78.95%. The chitosan microspheres were prepared from chitosan by split-coating and these spheres were crosslinked using glutaraldehyde. The surface area of microspheres was determined by BET method, and the surface area of crosslinked microspheres was 9.2 m2 g−1. The adsorption isotherms of cooper, nickel and zinc on microspheres of chitosan were determined in petroleum derivatives (gasoline and diesel oil), as well as in biofuels (alcohol, biodiesel and diesel-like). The adsorption order in all fuels was: Cu > Ni > Zn. The elution tests presented the following preconcentration degrees: >4.5 to ethanol, >4.4 to gasoline, >4.0 to diesel, >3.8 to biodiesel and >3.6 to diesel-like. The application of chitosan microspheres in the metal ions preconcentration showed the potential of this biopolymer to enrich fuel sample in order to be analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry.