Elimination of reactive blue 4 from aqueous solutions using 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane modified chitosan beads

The adsorption behavior of chitosan (CS) beads modified with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES) for the removal of reactive blue 4 (RB4) in batch studies has been investigated. The effects of modification conditions, such as the APTES concentration, temperature and reaction time on RB4 removal, were studied. The adsorbent prepared at a concentration of 2 wt% APTES for 8 h at 50 °C was the most effective one for RB4 adsorption. The adsorption capacity of modified CS beads (433.77 mg/g) was 1.37 times higher than that of unmodified CS beads (317.23 mg/g). The isotherm data are adequately described by a Freundlich model, and the kinetic study revealed that the pseudo-second-order rate model was in better agreement with the experimental data. The negative values of the thermodynamic parameters, including ΔG° (−2.28 and −4.70 kJ/mol at 30 ± 2 °C), ΔH° (−172.18 and −43.82 kJ/mol) and ΔS° (−560.71 and −129.08 J/mol K) for CS beads and APTES modified beads, respectively, suggest that RB4 adsorption is a spontaneous and exothermic process.