Effect of electric current on adsorption effectiveness on chitin and chitosan

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an electric current on the effectiveness of reactive dye Reactive Black 5 (RB 5) adsorption onto two adsorbents: chitin and chitosan. The current density applied in the experiment was 50 A/m². The experiment was carried out using electrodes made of stainless steel. At the first stage of the experiment – without the flow of electric current – the effectiveness of RB 5 dye adsorption onto chitin was determined at pH 3.0 and 5.0, whereas onto chitosan it was at pH 5.0. In the second stage, the effectiveness of RB 5 dye adsorption was determined onto chitin and chitosan with a simultaneous flow of direct current. In the case of both adsorbents, the pH value of the solution was 5.0. Results achieved in the study proved that the electric current had a positive effect on adsorption effectiveness onto chitin, as it contributed to an increase in the quantity of removed RB 5 dye to 440 mg/g d.m. from the initial 270 mg/g d.m. when assayed at the optimal pH 3.0 and from 135 mg/g d.m. when assayed at pH 5.0.

Keywords:

• electric current
• chitin
• chitosan
• adsorption
• Reactive Black 5