Preparation of chitosan/poly vinyl alcohol/nano zinc oxide blend beads for removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions

The application of photocatalytic beads in wastewater treatment application has earned attention of many researchers. In this study, the synthesized poly (vinyl alcohol)/chitosan/ nano Zinc oxide (PVA/CS/nanoZnO) beads have been considered as a promising alternative to conventional means of wastewater treatment. The present study has successfully synthesized PVA/CS/nano ZnO beads through simple dropwise method in which varied concentration of CS from 1.0 g to 2.0 g. Solubility and swelling properties investigation of the beads were also performed within the prescribed time of 24h in three different medium which were acidic, distilled water and alkaline solution. Result of solubility test proved that PVA/CS/nano ZnO beads were insoluble only in distilled water and alkaline solution. But, the beads were found to dissolve in acidic solution due to the CS content. Incidentally, the swelling test revealed that increased concentration of CS leads to swelling of beads in distilled water and alkaline solution. Results revealed that beads with the highest CS composition which is 2.0 g recorded 75.1% and 110.7% of swelling in distilled water and alkaline solution, respectively. Meanwhile, beads with the lowest CS composition which is 1.0 g only swell for 70.0% and 95.2% in distilled water and alkaline solution, respectively. As a conclusion, the synthesized beads in this study are feasible to be applied in natural to alkaline environment.