A review on chitosan-based adsorptive membranes

• Chitosan-based adsorptive membranes were reviewed.
• Chitosan adsorbents in the form of membrane are preferred for separation.
• Chitosan might be a free-standing membrane sheet or be used in composite membranes.
• Chitosan membranes are used for removing dyes and metal ions from aqueous media.
• Chitosan-based membranes can be regenerated using simple eluting solutions.

Membrane adsorbents have emerged as powerful and attractive tools for the removal of hazardous materials such as dyes and heavy metal ions, mainly in trace amounts, from water resources. Among membrane adsorbents, those prepared from or modified with chitosan biopolymer and its derivatives are cases of interest because of chitosan advantages including biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, reactivity, film and fiber forming capacity and favorable hydrophilicity. This review is oriented to provide a framework for better insight into fabrication methods and applications of chitosan-based adsorptive membranes. Critical aspects including thermokinetic analyses of adsorption and regeneration capacity of the membrane adsorbents have been also overviewed. Future of chitosan-based adsorptive membranes might include efforts for the improvement of mechanical stability and reusability and also most targeted application of appropriate copolymers as well as nanostructures in preparing high performance adsorptive membranes.