Synthesis and performance evaluation of chitosan/zinc oxide nanocomposite as a highly efficient adsorbent in the removal of reactive red 198 from water

In this study, Chitosan and Chitosan‐zinc oxide (ZnO) nanocomposite were prepared and applied as a low‐cost adsorbent with high adsorption capacity for removing reactive red 198 (RR 198) dye from contaminated water. After preparation, it was characterized using FT‐IR, XRD, and SEM. The effect of pH, temperature, time, adsorbent amount, and initial dye concentration were investigated in the removal efficiency of RR 198. The maximum adsorption capacity (qm) obtained from the Langmuir equation was 172.41 mg/g in adsorbent dose of 0.1 g/L, pH: 4, temperature of 25°C, adsorption time of 40 min. The thermodynamic parameters demonstrated the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption process. Due to the high efficiency of chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite in removal of RR 198 from water and advantages such as high adsorption capacity, simple synthesis, and easy application, it can be used as an effective method in the removal of RR 198 from water. Chitosan was extracted from shrimp shells and combined with ZnO nanoparticles according to the chitosan/ZnO nanocomposite synthesis method. The structure and morphology of nanoparticles were investigated and finally, they were used as an adsorbent to remove Reactive red 198 from aqueous solutions.