Adsorption characteristics of Reactive Black 5 onto chitosan beads cross-linked with epichlorohydrin

In this study, epichlorohydrin cross-linked chitosan beads were used for the removal of Reactive Black 5 (RB 5) from aqueous solution. The adsorption of RB 5 onto the cross-linked chitosan beads was strongly pH dependent. The adsorption capacity of RB 5 onto the cross-linked chitosan beads increased with increasing temperature, indicating the endothermic nature of the adsorption process. The thermodynamic parameters, namely the Gibbs free energy, enthalpy and entropy of the RB 5 adsorption process were calculated. The kinetic parameters were measured in a batch adsorber to analyze the rate of adsorption of RB 5 onto the cross-linked chitosan beads.