Chitosan–Thiobarbituric Acid: A Superadsorbent for Mercury

[Image: see text] In the present investigation, chitosan (CH) was supramolecularly cross-linked with thiobarbituric acid to form CT. CT was well characterized by UV, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, Fourier transform infrared, NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray diffraction analyses, and its adsorption potential for elemental mercury (Hg(0)), inorganic mercury (Hg(2+)), and methyl mercury (CH(3)Hg(+)) was investigated. Adsorption experiments were conducted to optimize the parameters for removal of the mercury species under study, and the data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin adsorption isotherm models. CT was found to have high adsorption capacities of 1357.69, 2504.86, and 2475.38 mg/g for Hg(0), Hg(2+), and CH(3)Hg(+), respectively. The adsorbent CT could be reused up to three cycles by eluting elemental mercury using 0.01 N thiourea, inorganic mercury using 0.01 N perchloric acid, and methyl mercury with 0.2 N NaCl.