Chitosan-derived carbonaceous material for highly efficient adsorption of chromium (VI) from aqueous solution

A carbonaceous adsorbent for effectively removing Cr(VI) was synthesized by facile hydrothermal carbonization of chitosan (HTC-chitosan). The prepared HTC-chitosan exhibited good stability in acid solution while the amine groups were retained completely after simple and green hydrothermal carbonization treatment. Structure characteristics of the HTC-chitosan as well as its adsorption behaviors for Cr(VI) in aqueous solution were investigated. Under optimal conditions, the adsorption capacity of the HTC-chitosan for Cr(VI) reached as high as 388.60 mg g−1, which was much higher than that of other materials reported previously. The prepared HTC-chitosan adsorbent could be reused at least five times with adsorption efficiency more than 92%. These results indicate that HTC-chitosan exhibited great superiority for Cr(VI) adsoption from aqueous solution both in terms of the preparation process and adsorption performance.