Synthesis of Alginate-synthetic and Chitosan-synthetic polymer Semi-IPN Xerogels for the removal of As(V) and Cu(II) ions

Synthesis of Alginate-synthetic and Chitosan-synthetic polymer Semi-IPN Xerogels for the removal of As(V) and Cu(II) ions | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Synthesis of Alginate-synthetic and Chitosan-synthetic polymer Semi-IPN Xerogels for the removal of As(V) and Cu(II) ions Mohammad T. ALSamman, Federico Tasca, Joseph Govan, Diego Oyarzún, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6940692/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 15 Dec, 2025 Read the published version in Polymer Bulletin → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In this work, the removal of As(V) using poly[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride/chitosan (PClAETA/chitosan) and of Cu(II) using polyitaconic acid/alginate (PIA/alginate) xerogels has been reported. In this system cationic (PClAETA/chitosan) -N+(CH3)3 Cl- groups have been proposed to be involved in the adsorption of As(V), and anionic (PIA/alginate) OH and –COOH groups have been proposed for Cu(II) ion adsorption. These xerogels were characterized by FTIR and TGA-DGA. FTIR showed the presence of –OH and –COOH groups possibly involved in Cu(II) ion adsorption and NH₂ and N⁺(CH₃)₃ groups involved in As(V) adsorption. TGA-DGA demonstrated good thermal stability for all xerogel systems. Adsorption studies were performed using a batch adsorption technique. The As(V) adsorption capacity of PClAETA/chitosan at room temperature and pH 9 at lower concentrations was 82.3 mg/g and reached fast adsorption around 45 minutes. At the same time, the adsorption study for PClAETA/chitosan yielded 76% removal efficiency and an adsorption capacity of 30 mg/g of arsenic at 60ºC for a solution concentration of 100 mg/L. Meanwhile, the Cu(II) adsorption capacity of PIA/alginate at pH 4.5 and lower concentrations reached 93 mg/g, with a faster adsorption of around 5 minutes. This work reports the synthesis and characterization of novel semi-IPN xerogels, which demonstrated tunable adsorption properties by controlling their surface moieties and nanoscale structure, which is useful for wastewater treatment systems. Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks Adsorption Alginate Arsenic Chitosan Copper xerogels Water purification Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9 1. Introduction Recently, significant attention has been paid to the removal of heavy metal ions from waste products of various industrial processes such as metal plating, paint or dye manufacturing, leather tanning, textile dyeing, printing, and wood preservation 1 . These heavy metals can exhibit a wide variety of effects on human health and the environment 2 , so their removal from the waste stream would be essential for public health. For example, arsenic is a toxic element found naturally and widely in the Earth's crust which can poison water sources 3 . In recent years, the total concentration of arsenic in the environment has increased significantly soil and groundwater pollution due to mining and power plant operation 4 . Arsenic is a metalloid element and can be found as conjugate acids of As(III) and As(V) are denoted as H 3 AsO 3 and H 3 AsO 4 , respectively 5 . Exposure to high levels of arsenic may lead to health effects, including increasing cancer risk. The maximum contaminant level for total arsenic in drinking water is 0.01 mg/L 6 . Similarly, the presence of copper ions at high concentrations in natural waters causes toxic long-term effects in humans and other living organisms. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a maximum concentration limit of 2 mg/L for copper 7 . Both Cu(II) and As(V) can be removed by a range of methods such as electrocoagulation, adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, reverse osmosis, and lime softening. Amongst these methods, adsorption is the most efficient, easy to operate, and economic for removing heavy metal ions and metalloids 8–13 . Polysaccharides such as chitosan and alginate are widely available and produced in large quantities, and studies have shown that they are suitable for heavy metal absorption 14–16 . Materials like these can be incorporated into composite materials like semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) xerogels, which are a combination of two polymers forming three-dimensional networks crosslinked with a linear structure. This structure may facilitate high water sorption and enhance the adsorption of dyes and heavy metal ions 17–22 . For example, Chitosan -g-Poly acrylic acid /gelatin semi-IPN xerogels have been reported to adsorb Cu 2+ at 261.08 mg/g capacity 23 . The most effective manufacturing process for semi-IPN xerogels uses radical polymerization, as it leads to better mechanical properties and absorption than other processes 24 as well as being efficient and low cost 25 . Quaternary ammonium-containing poly[2-(acryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride P(ClAETA) xerogels have been studied and widely used as cationic groups in anion-exchange polymer electrolytes with an absorption capacity of 142 mg/g and removing As(V) ions with 100% efficiency at pH 8 using ultrafiltration 26 . Starch-grafted itaconic acid xerogels were fabricated by copolymerization of itaconic acid and cornstarch in the presence of an acrylamide crosslinker and a sodium bisulfite initiator pair and showed 86.36 mg/g Cu absorption at pH 3.5 27 . Previously, the authors developed biopolymer-derived xerogels through the incorporation of synthetic materials using polyacrylamide/chitosan (PAAM/chitosan) and applying them to the adsorption of As(V). An adsorption capacity of 17.8 mg/g at pH 5.0 was reported. The use of polyacrylic acid/alginate (PAA/alginate) xerogels has also been studied for the adsorption of Cu(II), yielding an adsorption capacity of 63.59 mg/g at pH 4.0 28 . Therefore, a semi-IPN xerogel based on chitosan-PCIAETA and alginate-itaconic acid to adsorb As (V) and Cu (II) has been developed. Consequently, a semi-IPN can be formed with chitosan, which belongs to the categories of polysaccharides forming cationic charge polymers owing to its amino acid groups (–NH 2 ) that form a quaternary ammonium cation depending on pH 29 . To conclude, it is the proposal of this investigation that semi-IPN can demonstrate good adsorption properties for As(V) and Cu(II), since the presence of amino groups in chitosan along with hydroxyl groups in alginate are beneficial for adsorption 30 . The novelty of the prepared xerogels is linked to their rapid and high adsorption capacity and the observation that their functional group and the linear nature of the semi-IPN cross-linked structure helps in metal diffusion and adsorption interactions. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Chemical Regents Chitosan (85% deacetylation, Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), sodium alginate (90% carboxylation, Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), itaconic acid (≥99% Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride solution (80 wt%, Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), ammonium persulfate (Sigma‒Aldrich, Turkey), copper standard solution (Merck, Germany), arsenic standard solution (Merck, Germany), and nitric acid 65% (Merck, Germany) were used for the experiments. All chemicals were used as is without further processing. 2.2 Synthesis of the xerogels As shown in Figure (1) , xerogels were manufactured using a radical polymerization method. In short, aqueous solutions of alginate (24 wt. %) with itaconic acid or chitosan (24 wt. %) with P(ClAETA) were prepared in Schlenk tubes, and an N,N'-Methylenebisacrylamide MBA crosslinker and persulfate (APS) initiating agent were added. The solution was then purged with oxygen-free nitrogen gas for 20 min. The sealed tubes were then placed in a water bath (60 ± 1°C). The resulting xerogels were then washed, frozen, lyophilized, dried and then applied to a sieve in order to get 250 to 350 mesh-size pieces. After preparing the xerogels, the yields were calculated to determine the resulting structures, as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Amounts of reagents used in each synthesis and its yield. N,N'-Methylenebisacrylamide MBA (0.3114 g) and ammonium persulfate APS (0.0040 g) were used for itaconic acid, and PSA (0.0116 g) was used for PCIAETA. Nº Tube Biopolymer amount (%) ITA (g) ± 0.005 g Alginate (g) ± 0.005 g Yields (%) 1 0 1.441 0.000 98.3 2 24 1.441 0.577 91.2 Nº Tube Percentage (%) PCIAETA (ml) ± 0.005 ml Chitosan (g) ± 0.005 g Yields (%) 3 0 1.3 ml (1.4716 g) 0.000 97.6 4 24 1.3 ml (1.4716 g) 0.589 92.4 2.3 Heavy Metal Removal Study A known weight of dry xerogels was added to a Falcon tube, and 10 mL of a heavy metal solution (dosages of 10, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 800, and 1000 mg/L were used were necessary) was added. The samples were then placed in an orbital shaker for a certain period (10 min to 8 hours) at room temperature (heating was applied before adding and every 10 minutes heated again), after which the solid powder was removed by filtration. Metal concentration was then determined using atomic adsorption spectrometry (AAS). The adsorption capacities were calculated using the following equation: where q e is the quantity of adsorbed Cu(II) per gram of sample, C i and C e are the concentrations of metal ions in the initial solution and at equilibrium, respectively (mmol/L), V is the solution volume of the metal ion solution added (mL), and m is the amount of adsorbent used (g) 31 . 2.4 Absorbent Characterization FTIR 500 and 4000 cm -1 analysis was conducted using a PerkinElmer UATR Spectrum Two in ATR configuration. Scans were conducted between 500 and 4000cm -1 , with a number of scans of 60 and resolution of 2 cm -1 . TGA analysis was conducted using a TG 209 F1 system by IRIS, NETZSCH. The samples were heated to 600°C at 10 °C/min under an inert nitrogen atmosphere. 3. Results and discussion 3.1. FTIR analysis The synthesized polymers were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy in the 400-4000 cm -1 range for all xerogels. The FTIR spectra for poly(ClAETA) are shown in Figure 2(a) . Signals of the functional groups of 2-(acryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (ClAETA) monomer remaine 32 , and the bending band of the quaternary ammonium groups (−N + (CH 3 )) was observed at 1483 cm −1 33 . The addition of chitosan resulted in a decrease in the spectra at 1765 cm −1 attributed to the vibration of the carbonyl bond (C=O) and a change in the region from 2750 to 3600 cm −1 as a result of the vibration of the amine group in the chitosan and its vibration along with the quaternary amine group 30,34 .Two peaks were confirmed for the formation of a primary amine at 800 cm −1 and 1765 cm -1 , indicating that chitosan adopts a linear structure around the semi-IPN structure xerogels 35 . The FTIR spectra for polyitaconic acid (PIA) xerogels are shown in Figure 2(b) . In the case of PIA/alginate 24%, peaks at 3291 and 3084 cm -1 indicate OH stretching and absorption at approximately 1370 cm −1 indicating asymmetric and symmetric absorption of the C-O bond. When alginate was added, the intensity of the bands at 1392, 1300, 1112, and 1698 cm −1 increased 30,36 . Bands at 1457 and 1163 cm −1 were attributed to the ―C–O― and ―OH-carboxyl extension (―COOH) coupling interactions and their decrosslinking, confirming the structure of semi-IPN 37 . The FTIR spectra displays a small absorption peak at a low frequency (1698 cm -1 ). The increase in the absorption frequency of the –COO group corresponds to the linear structure of alginate, which has a semi-IPN structure 38,39 . 3.2. TGA Characterization The TGA curves of the P(ClAETA) and P(ClAETA)/chitosan 24% xerogels are shown in Figure 3 (A). A weight loss of approximately 10% was observed from 50 to 100 °C, which was attributed to the loss of absorbed water and volatile elements. In the two other decomposition systems, a weight loss of approximately 41% was observed owing to the decomposition of the polymers in the 270-370°C temperature range. Likewise, a weight loss of approximately 23% was observed from 380 to 500°C, which corresponds to main structure decomposition, different decomposition systems, polymer main chain degradation, and ash generation. While both materials demonstrated thermal stability, it was superior for xerogels containing chitosan, which showed enhanced resistance. TGA results confirmed the stable formation of the xerogel network, as evidenced by the improvement in thermal resistance 37,40,41 . In the case of P(ClAETA) composite xerogels, a peak was observed at 390–410°C, which is consistent with exothermic reactions resulting from the decomposition of the ammonium salt. Hence, there was a difference in stability between the xerogels 32,42 . Additionally, DTG was performed to confirm the formation of a linear polymer on the semi-IPN and determine its thermal stability. DTG analysis Figure 3(a) exhibits a first decomposition peak corresponding to the clusters. The peak collapse of the hydrocarbon chain shifted to a slightly higher temperature (172°C). These results demonstrate that carboxylic acid groups decompose and that conformational carboxyl groups (R─COO−) evolve within the polymeric chain 43 . The TGA curves show two distinct areas of weight loss. Initial weight loss (13%) occurred from 50-100°C and can be attributed to volatile elements in the sample. The second region of weight loss (42.2%) at 200-380°C may be attributed to polymer decomposition. A third weight loss zone (14%) appeared at 380-500°C may be attributed to polymer xerogel degradation and the formation of ash and carbon Figure 3(b) 44 . By contrast, when alginate was added, the resulting composite had a lower thermal stability than the original polymer 45 . 3.3 As(V) and Cu(II) removal as a function of pH pH is the primary factor affecting the retention and adsorption of As(V) onto a polymer. At pH 9, As(V) was retained more easily than at higher or lower pH. As(V) was retained by the polymer through ion exchange, as shown in Figure 4(a) 46 . The equilibrium constants of As(V) in an aqueous medium are: H 3 AsO 4 ⇆ H + + H 2 AsO 4 − (pK a1 = 2.22) (2) H 2 AsO 4 − ⇆ H + + HAsO 4 2- (pK a2 = 6.98) (3) HAsO 4 2- ⇆ H + + AsO 4 3- (pK a3 = 11.53) (4) Firstly, at pH 3 (acidic) media, monovalent anionic species (H 2 AsO 4 -) are the dominant states, and their adsorption is low. Secondly, at pH 6, oxygenated arsenic species are dominantly monovalent (H 2 AsO 4 − ) and divalent (HAsO 4 2− ) in equilibrium. The ability to react with the P(CIAETA) polymer depends on the presence of a positively charged quaternary ammonium group, N + (CH 3 ) 3 , which reacts freely with arsenate anions. Approximately 90% of a 10 mg/L arsenate anion solution were removed at a pH of 9. This can be explained by an increase in ionic strength resulting in a decrease in the electrostatic interactions of the polymeric “complexes”. Higher pH values (7–12) favored the anionic diatomic species HAsO 4 2- . It has been speculated that one of the factors influencing the exchange selectivity would be the polarity of the functional group. This is due to the balance between the monovalent (H 2 AsO 4 − ) and divalent (HAsO 4 2- ) anions. Divalent anions are favored over monovalent anions by anionic exchangers 47,48 . As such, increasing the ionic strength at pH of 9 can improve the ability of the quaternary ammonium group to interact with the anion exchange group of the polymer methylammonium chloride P(ClAETA) for arsenate absorption. This is because the chloride anion is easily released by the hydrophobic sites of the larger, polarized quaternary ammonium groups, promoting easy attachment to the quaternary ammonium group 49 pH is an important factor in copper ion adsorption onto xerogels. Copper ions are present in aqueous solutions in Cu(II), Cu(OH), and Cu(OH) 2 forms. At pH lower than 5.0, Cu(OH) 2 is highly soluble. However, at pH values greater than 5.0, Cu(OH) 2 becomes very insoluble, making copper ions precipitate more easily. The adsorption of Cu(II) ions on the xerogel is dominated by electrostatic interactions between the surface of the adsorbent and Cu(II) ions. This is because most alginate and itaconic acid OH groups ionize in acidic media, while the COO- functional groups remain negatively charged. The pK a1 value of itaconic acid corresponds to pH values higher than 3.85. Hence, the carboxyl groups were ionized and had stronger electrostatic forces, indicating that they were all ionized, and the surface acquired a negative charge that facilitates Cu(II) adsorption 50 . Figure 4(d) demonstrates that copper adsorption increased as solution pH increased, reaching its highest level at pH 4.5, agreeing with its nominal pKa values 51 . Nevertheless, increasing pH progressively increased adsorption because multiple carboxyl groups (itaconic acid) became ionized and provided additional binding sites for copper ion adsorption. Therefore, excessive adsorption resulted from complex breakage because of electrostatic repulsion between carboxyl groups, pushing the network chains apart. It is also possible to achieve lower copper adsorption at low pH values (pH 2-3). These results could be explained by the surface's abundance of H + ions, which bind with COO - and H + groups to generate COOH groups. Notably, these groups eventually formed hydrogen bonds with the carboxyl groups of itaconic acid, causing a decrease in the surface layer. The degree of ion adsorption decreased with the surface layer, which functioned as a barrier 52 . To summarize, pH may also affect surface charge distributions in semi-IPN, along with the density and relative charge attributes of the surface. Mobile ionic charges in the adsorption layer are superficially charged because of ionic carboxylic acid groups 53 . 3.4 Effect of adsorbent weight on metal removal The xerogels obtained were submitted into a variable quantitative weight study showing that as the surface area of PCIAETA increased, the higher the absorbance of arsenic Figure 4(b) . The effect of ionic strength is more evident in surface adsorption owing to the increase in functional groups, and the increase reaches a plateau as the ionic strengths do not increase 54 . The addition of chitosan can reduce the nanostructure porosity and therefore adsorption capacity 55 . On the other hand, considering Cu(II) ions at 10 mg/L concentration, the results obtained demonstrated that increasing the amount of adsorbent, increased the effective surface area Figure 4(e) . However, additional experiments are required to obtain more conclusive results and determine the real potential of these systems for use in water treatment 56 . These results suggest that the side chains of the itaconic unit may have some effect on adsorption 57 . 3.5 Effect of contact time on metal removal Another crucial factor for the adsorption process is the contact time between adsorbent and adsorbate. This is due to inherent limitations in the kinetic process of adsorption onto the absorbent 58 . The adsorbate is transferred from the bulk of the solution to the liquid layer around the solid adsorbent through a process known as bulk diffusion 59 . A progressive increase in the adsorption contact time for As(V) ions was observed, culminating in a peak at 60 min Figure 4 (c) . As demonstrated, for all metal ion concentrations, the adsorption capacity increased with increasing contact time until equilibrium was attained. This is because at basic pH, polymers containing quaternary ammonium groups N(CH 3 ) 3 + have the greatest capacity to adsorb oxyanions. Adding chitosan as a linear polymer might block N(CH 3 ) 3 + groups from adsorbing and restrict active sites 60 . At the desorption onset, adsorption either plateaus or decreases. This may be due to unpacking and secondary unloading processes 61 . The effect of contact time on Cu(II) adsorption by 0% and 24% Polyitaconic acid/alginate xerogels were studied. The adsorption results at different contact times are shown in Figure 4 (f) . At the initiation of adsorption, there was an adsorption peak at 10 min, where adsorption capacity reached 2 mg/g and 50% removal, and Cu(II) adsorption increased rapidly. This is because, at the beginning of the process, adsorption occurs on the outer and inner surfaces of the polymers, with a rapid rate. After 60 min, adsorption almost reached equilibrium. After the equilibrium period, the amount of adsorbed Cu(II) effectively plateaued. Therefore, the adsorption rate was low because of metal diffusion into polymer pores . This indicates that the resulting materials formed strong bonds with Cu(II) ions 51,62,63 . Alginate addition may have resulted in a surface area increase for the material as it contained more binding sites, increasing its Cu(II) adsorption capacity. In addition, carboxyl groups on the mannuronic blocks (M-blocks) were readily engaged in the adsorption process, and the edges were engaged in Cu(II) chelation 64,65 . Alginate also increases the adsorption of positively charged metal ions through electrostatic attraction and increases the adsorption time. This also increases the number of functional groups that contain a negative charge, which helps to increase branching, resulting in better adsorption 66 . Three kinetic models were employed in this study: pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), and Elovich. The results of these kinetic models are presented in Table 2. The adsorption kinetic models are essential for characterizing both adsorption efficiency and the overall adsorption process. The PFO kinetic model was determined to be the most suitable for the adsorption of copper using both PIA xerogels, while the PSO model was applicable for arsenic adsorption, attributed to chemical reactions and active sites. Analysis of the k 2 (g/mg.min) and q e (mg/g) values indicates that the adsorption of copper occurs at a significantly faster rate compared arsenic 67–69 . Furthermore, copper has a higher diffusion rate onto the adsorbent surface, while arsenic requires more time to reach the adsorption sites Figure 5(A,D) 70 . The Elovich model suggests the presence of adsorption sites associated with a multilayer adsorption process in PIA and PCIAETA at 0% Figure 5(B,C), whereas the biopolymer appears to form an insulating layer, facilitating absorption onto the linear polymer 71,72 . Table 2. Kinetic results for each absorbate ion. Model Parameter PIA 24% Cu PIA Cu PCIAETA As (V) PCIAETA 24% As (V) PFO q e (mg/g) K 1 (1/min) R 2 AARE% 2.06 7.77 0.99 0.005 1.31 0.243 0.865 0.038 2.889 0.291 0.939 0.075 1.56 0.025 0.77 0.097 PSO q e (mg/g) K 2 (g/mg.min) R 2 AARE% 2.06 1.86 0.99 0.005 1.31 2.03 0.859 0.04 2.99 0.196 0.954 0.057 1.81 0.017 0.769 0.10 Elovich a (mg.g -1 .min) β (mg.g -1 ) R 2 AARE% 20.5 0.059 0.48 0.018 5.88 0.018 0.983 0.00153 1.91 0.01 0.84 0.072 4.13 0.20 0.83 0.065 3.6 Effect of concentration of metal ions The adsorption of As(V) and Cu(II) ions at concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 mg/L was determined. The adsorption capacity and effectiveness increased with chitosan concentration; however, this effect was more pronounced in chitosan-free xerogels, indicating the P(ClAETA) has a high capacity for As(V) ion removal (see Figure 6(a,c)) . Additionally, as previously mentioned, the functional groups in the xerogel result from the presence of more moieties that engage in anion exchange with the solution 73 . Finally, complementary sites may exist because of the arrangement of chains, creating tightly packed coils with electrostatic interactions. Interestingly, even at extremely high As concentrations, polymerization preserved recovery efficiency. This may be due to the thermodynamic equilibrium being dependent on conformational shifts in the solution-state structure of the polymer 74 . Thus, as concentration increased at a basic pH, a strong retention ability of the polymers was observed. This may be due to the presence of divalent species, which can contribute to complex formation. This suggests that proton extraction may be used to separate additional active sites. When the molar ratio of the copolymers was not equal, a significant number of quaternary ammonium groups were free and ready to bond with the arsenate solution 75 . Because of the sieving effect of fine salts or the rapid dissociation of weak polyelectrolytes, the majority of-N(CH 3 ) 3 groups were free to react with arsenate anions, increasing the retention capacity and causing a decrease in the electrostatic interactions of polymeric adsorbents. P(ClAETA) polymers containing chloride anion-exchange groups demonstrated a higher capacity to remove As(v) than chitosan, which has an amino/acetamido anion-exchange group. Arsenate oxyanions can therefore be absorbed onto polymers with chloride-anion-exchange groups at basic pH levels 76,77 . Figure 6(b,d) shows the adsorbent versus increasing initial Cu(II) concentration. An increase in adsorption as concentration rose was observed owing to the higher concentration gradient between the adsorbates in the solution and the xerogel. Xerogel containing 24% alginate exhibited a slightly higher adsorption capacity than the 0%. This is due to an increase in the number of active sites on the xerogel surface available for Cu(II) adsorption 50 . Absorbate ions are favorably adsorbed under acidic conditions on positively charged surfaces because of their surface chemical structure, which may include carboxyl (R-COOH) and hydroxyl (R-OH) groups that become negatively charged R-COO− and R-O− groups 78 . It was also observed that metal ion adsorption increased as metal ion concentration rose in the feed. This is because of the constant adsorption capacity of the xerogel, which means a significant number of unbound metal ions remain in solution at high feed metal ion concentrations 37 This process is initially dominated by a surface adhesion mechanism. Subsequently, copper ions permeate the polymeric matrix. This effect was confirmed by the green hue of the xerogel following the removal procedure 43 An increase in porosity and total pore size of the xerogel due to the association/dissociation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds within the xerogel at higher temperatures; see Figure 7(a) . Reaching an adsorption capacity of 30 mg/g and a removal efficiency of 76% (Figure 7(b)). The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ΔGº, ΔSº, ΔHº) for arsenic adsorptiom were endothermic due to the density (“concentration”) of absorbing species being higher, and the process of adsorption was favored at high temperature 79 . While higher temperatures can facilitate the inner-sphere bidentate or monodentate complexes of arsenic 80 . 3.7 Isotherm models (Langmuir and Freundlich) Isotherm studies (Langmuir and Freundlich) provide insights into both monolayer and multilayer adsorption processes. These models were employed to analyze the effectiveness of xerogels as adsorbents, particularly in relation to variations in adsorbate concentration. The linear plot (R L = 1) in both arsenic and copper represents how low-capacity monolayer adsorption occurs at monomolecular adsorption specific homogeneous sites 81,82 . The K L (L mg -1 ) parameter, which represents the energy of sorption, indicates the affinity of the binding sites, with values of -3.12 × 10 -18 for arsenic and -3.5 × 10 -18 for copper. These values imply that the adsorption process does not conform to the assumptions of the Langmuir model 83,84 . The Freundlich adsorption isotherm characterizes the amount of adsorbate removed per unit weight of the adsorbent, which is influenced by the active sites on a heterogeneous surface. The K f values for arsenic and copper are both 0.397, indicating that this value rises with increasing adsorbate removal capacity 85,86 . Therefore, the findings suggest that the adsorption mechanism is characterized by multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous sites ( see Figure 8) 87 . 3.8 RSM response surface The enhancement of adsorption can be achieved through the application of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), which considers factors such as time, adsorption efficiency, maximum arsenic concentration, and adsorption capacity. The optimal conditions for the effective removal of As(V) utilizing PCIAETA 0% see Figure 9 , were identified to improve the parameters associated with its adsorption and to evaluate the sensitivity of the response to each influencing factor 88–90 . It was found that the ideal conditions for arsenic adsorption were a pH of 9, a contact time of 60 minutes, an initial As(V) concentration ranging from 10 to 500 mg/L, and a temperature of 60 ºC. In turn, the ideal conditions for copper adsorption were a pH of 4.5, a contact time of 90 min, and an initial concentration ranging from 10 to 500 mg/L. 3.9 Comparison of the removal capacity of As(V) and Cu(II) with other adsorbents Table 3 lists recent studies on xerogels adsorbents for the removal of As (V) and Cu(II) compared with the results from this study. Table 3. Recent studies on some adsorbents of As(V) and Cu(II) Table (A) Adsorbents for arsenic - As (V) Adsorbent Test solution Concentration (mg/L) pH - Temp (°C) As(V) (mg/g) R (%) Ref chitosan-coated biosorbent 100 – 1000 mg/L pH 4 - 25±0.5 °C 96.5 mg/g 91 chitosan-g-vinylcaprolactam/N-N-dimethylacrylamide 100–250 µg/L pH (7.6–8.3) 25 °C 0.0022 mg/g 46% 92 magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 )/Chitosan 1500 mg/L pH 6.7 79.49 mg/g 99.5% 93 electrospun chitosan nanofiber - lanthanum 30 mg/L pH 4 83.6 mg/g 94 Chitosan particles 10 mg/L pH 6.5 - 25 °C 1.302 mg/g 95 Functional Iron Chitosan Microspheres 200 – 2000 mg/L pH 5 - 25 °C 120.77 mg/g 88.9% 96 P(ClAETA) 10 - 84 mg/L pH 8 142 mg/g 100 % 97 P(ClAETA)/Chitosan 1000 mg/L pH 9 - 25°C 80 mg/g 20% This work P(ClAETA) 1000 mg/L pH 9 - 25°C 82 mg/g 20.5% This work P(ClAETA) 10 mg/L pH 9 - 60°C 4 mg/g 92% This work P(ClAETA) 100 mg/L pH 9 - 60°C 30 mg/g 76% This work Table (B) Adsorbent for copper - Cu (II) Adsorbent Concentration (mg/L) pH - Temp (°C) Cu (II) (mg/g) R (%) Reference Poly(Vinylpyrrolidone-Itaconic Acid) 1500 to 2500 mg/L pH 4.7 - 25 °C 131 mg/g 51 Xanthan-g-poly(Itaconic acid)/bentonite 200 mg/L pH 5 - 25 °C 188.4 mg/g 36 poly(ethylene terephthalate)-g-itaconic acid/acrylamide 50 mg/L pH 4 - 20–60 °C 4.709 - 10.940 mg/g 98 poly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid) 640 mg/L pH 4.7 - 50°C 72.7 mg/g 99 Mxene/alginate 500 mg/L pH 6 - 60°C 87.6 mg/g 63.5% 100 carbon nanotube/calcium alginate 20 mg/L pH 5 - 20°C 67.9 mg/g 69.9% 101 alginate-polyethyleneimine 6.4 mg/L pH 4 - 45°C 1.27 mg/g 95.1% 102 Calcium-Alginate/Spent-Coffee-GroundsCalcium-Alginate/Spent-Coffee-Grounds 100 mg/L pH 4 - 30°C 17.184 mg/g 86.86% 103 Chitosan-Alginate and Aspergillus australensis 200 mg/L pH 5-35°C 26.1 mg/g 79% 104 alginate-g-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) 135 mg/L pH 4.5 - 50°C 51 mg/g 77% 105 Itaconic acid/Alginate 1000 mg/L pH 4.5 - 25°C 94 mg/g 23.5% This work Itaconic acid 1000 mg/L pH 4.5 - 25°C 90 mg/g 22.5% This work Adsorption is a useful technique for the removal of a wide range of contaminants in the treatment and remediation of large quantities of water 106 , The recycling of xerogels makes this technique potentially commercially viable. There is growing interest in synthesizing new adsorbents to remove metal ions. Carbon nanotubes and magnetic nanoparticles have been used to improve xerogel efficiency. In comparison with other xerogel composite systems, the xerogels produced for this study demonstrated reasonable effectiveness with similar or better removal than some of the other materials reported 107 . However, Alginate and chitosan cannot be used alone and need to be modified; their capacity to adsorb metals may be altered or even improved through adding different materials 108 . The differences observed in Table (3) indicate that factors other than the surface moieties presented may affect adsorption capacity. As such, adsorption capacity depends on pore size, structure, morphology, temperature, and pH, as well as the presence of surface-active functional groups. Adsorption kinetics depend on several factors, such as metal concentration, adsorbent dosage, the preparation and modification of the xerogel, and changes in the mechanical strength and swelling ratio owing to the modification of the structure of the xerogels in the networks. This reveals that the xerogel composites have better mechanical properties and adsorption capacities than pure xerogels 108–111 . 4. Conclusions In this study, semi-IPN xerogels were synthesized via radical polymerization to form anionic and cationic polymers containing different functional groups as ion-exchange groups for As(V) and Cu(II). FTIR spectroscopy was used to determine the functional groups of the xerogel structures. Xerogels containing poly(ClAETA) exhibited higher thermal stability than xerogels containing poly(ClAETA)/chitosan under TGA/DTG. The adsorption capacity for As(V) at room temperature reached 82.3 mg/g for the 1000 mg/L dose at pH 9. Quaternary ammonium polymers exhibited the greatest ability to remove As(V) ions (R = 90%) for a 10 mg/L concentration at an elevated temperature of 60ºC. In contrast, FTIR spectra of the PIA/alginate xerogels indicated that the -NH 2 ,–OH, and -COOH groups participated in the adsorption process. From the TGA analysis of the itaconic acid/alginate xerogels, increasing alginate content decreases thermal stability. The ability of xerogels to remove Cu(II) ions from an aqueous solution was also studied. It was found that the optimal adsorption capacity of the xerogel was at a pH of 4.5 and a weight of 50 mg. The adsorption amount increased with increasing concentrations; at 1000 mg/L, the adsorption capacity was 94 mg/g with itaconic acid/alginate 24% xerogels. This study provides a window for the further improvement of adsorption capacity through the chemical modification of xerogel systems. These materials may prove valuable for water resource rehabilitation in the future. 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ALSamman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mohammad","middleName":"T.","lastName":"ALSamman","suffix":""},{"id":476884784,"identity":"53e4e9d5-9f69-4c58-84cb-db78b0740051","order_by":1,"name":"Federico Tasca","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Federico","middleName":"","lastName":"Tasca","suffix":""},{"id":476884785,"identity":"b7bc7126-fef9-4ade-bf31-7d0c3182d4e0","order_by":2,"name":"Joseph Govan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Chile","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joseph","middleName":"","lastName":"Govan","suffix":""},{"id":476884786,"identity":"d6cc5d7a-dbbf-4260-9809-d060c551a6b9","order_by":3,"name":"Diego Oyarzún","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidad de Atacama","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Diego","middleName":"","lastName":"Oyarzún","suffix":""},{"id":476884787,"identity":"a6599184-6988-45f7-8d23-afa920b28548","order_by":4,"name":"Julio Sánchez","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAzUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxgbmhgMQJg8QV4AYzA0EtDAiazkDESNoDwNcC2MbEVqYZyQ2HvjAUCdvzn724MOf8w7LM7AfJOCwGYkNB2cwHDbc2ZOXbCC57bBhA08iYS2HeRgOMG64wWMmYbjtcAKDBAGHQbXU2QO1mP9InEO8FuZEkC0MBxuI0dLzEOgXg8PJG87kGEs2HEs3bCPkF8P25MMfPlTU2W44fsbw448aa3l+9sMH8GsBm2iAJMKGVz0QyBNSMApGwSgYBaOAAQBTc0lbWrhLHwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Julio","middleName":"","lastName":"Sánchez","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-06-20 16:53:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6940692/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6940692/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-025-06172-w","type":"published","date":"2025-12-15T15:57:39+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":85689142,"identity":"163d9374-99a1-4ac1-82b7-8fa610b3d049","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:36:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":115800,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eSynthesis of semi-IPN xerogels using monomers of CIAETA and chitosan or itaconic acid and alginate.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/68b880d66b9cc9f675c45a74.jpg"},{"id":85689143,"identity":"12924350-c665-4194-b66a-988216787c00","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:36:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":60396,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFTIR analysis of a) semi-IPN xerogels P(CIAETA) and P(CIAETA)/chitosan 24% and b) semi-IPN xerogels of PIA and PIA/alginate 24%.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/e91001bc0b85e4977e4f2c37.jpg"},{"id":85690216,"identity":"d9227d26-8460-41e3-abc7-b92a1ba09eed","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:44:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":58582,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eTGA and DTG analysis of A) P(CAIETA) and P(CAIETA)/chitosan xerogels and B) PIA and PIA/alginate xerogels\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/98f73d68ef84fa88a94c0f63.jpg"},{"id":85689145,"identity":"5ccdc149-eed6-4008-9c36-f8af3bcb6102","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:36:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":82503,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003estudy of As (V) adsorption with P(CIAETA) in function of a) pH, b) quantity of xerogel, c) contact time; Cu (II) adsorption with PIA in function of d) pH, e) quantity of xerogel, f) contact time.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/7af05d9d7e47a3669a675bd5.jpg"},{"id":85690782,"identity":"ad4f13a3-31af-4ae1-a04f-a1d790d2ba57","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:52:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":99970,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eFrom left to right, pseudo first order, pseudo second order, elovich; A) PIA, B) PIA/Alginate 24%, C) PCIAETA, D) PCIAETA/Chitosan 24%.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/bdb587a01b198cec242af911.jpg"},{"id":85691396,"identity":"8b796601-67e0-420a-aee0-99af3c11556f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 17:00:15","extension":"jpg","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":71193,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eRelationship of the dosage concentration of a,c) P(CIAETA) adsorbing As (V), b,d) PIA adsorbing Cu (II) with the solution concentration from 10 mg/L to 1000 mg/L.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/bed46eb0ec0cb2d64b218bca.jpg"},{"id":85689153,"identity":"02dfe878-257a-4ee8-9df6-7129baa5aabf","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:36:15","extension":"jpg","order_by":7,"title":"Figure 7","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":45540,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemperature effect study for arsenic examining \u0026nbsp;a) adsorption capacity with changing PCIAETA dosage at different temperature b) relation between PCIAETA dosage and removal efficiency at 60 ºC.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"7.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/d7b8eca290b0612523a719a8.jpg"},{"id":85690217,"identity":"bb705cd2-6df1-4088-b846-3b259311c9e7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:44:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":8,"title":"Figure 8","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":79045,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eIsothermal study (Langmuir and Freundlich) for arsenic adsorption using PCIAETA 0% and copper adsorption using PIA 24%.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"8.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/a367a30183df7050882b98c2.jpg"},{"id":85689148,"identity":"2fbc841e-cffb-4803-bbba-f7991b59ccb9","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:36:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":9,"title":"Figure 9","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":98787,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eResponse surface methodology using different parameters (time, adsorption efficiency, maximum arsenic concentration, temperature and adsorption capacity) for arsenic adsorption using PCIAETA 0% and copper adsorption using PIA 24%.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"9.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/cbf735934fdc981fe12ae717.jpg"},{"id":98813911,"identity":"ff8a8b44-d7fc-4854-81a6-2150bf966862","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-22 16:07:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2060238,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/0462bb94-d4a2-4f5b-b4c0-4775a9f19023.pdf"},{"id":85690215,"identity":"50797c88-34f5-4eb8-8bda-ccb97c2d98d3","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-30 16:44:14","extension":"jpg","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":120151,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"GA.jpg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6940692/v1/0785efdf995b000e748264e3.jpg"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSynthesis of Alginate-synthetic and Chitosan-synthetic polymer Semi-IPN Xerogels for the removal of As(V) and Cu(II) ions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eRecently, significant attention has been paid to the removal of heavy metal ions from waste products of various industrial processes such as metal plating, paint or dye manufacturing, leather tanning, textile dyeing, printing, and wood preservation\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e1\u003c/sup\u003e. These heavy metals can exhibit a wide variety of effects on human health and the environment \u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e, so their removal from the waste stream would be essential for public health. For example,\u0026nbsp;arsenic\u0026nbsp;is a toxic element found naturally and widely in the Earth's crust which can poison\u0026nbsp;water sources\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;In recent years, the total concentration of arsenic in the environment has increased significantly soil and groundwater pollution due to mining and power plant operation \u003csup\u003e4\u003c/sup\u003e. Arsenic is a metalloid element and can be found as conjugate acids\u0026nbsp;of As(III) and As(V)\u0026nbsp;are\u0026nbsp;denoted as H\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e and H\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e, respectively\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e5\u003c/sup\u003e. Exposure to high levels of arsenic may lead to health effects, including increasing cancer risk. The maximum contaminant level for total arsenic in drinking water is 0.01 mg/L\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;6\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSimilarly, the presence of copper ions at high concentrations in natural waters causes toxic long-term effects in humans and other living organisms. The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a maximum concentration limit of 2 mg/L for copper \u003csup\u003e7\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth Cu(II) and As(V) can be removed by a range of methods such as electrocoagulation, adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, reverse osmosis, and lime softening. Amongst these methods, adsorption is the most efficient, easy to operate, and economic for removing heavy metal ions and metalloids \u003csup\u003e8–13\u003c/sup\u003e. Polysaccharides such as chitosan and alginate are widely available and produced in large quantities, and studies have shown that they are suitable for heavy metal absorption \u003csup\u003e14–16\u003c/sup\u003e. Materials like these can be incorporated into composite materials like semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) xerogels, which are a combination of two polymers forming three-dimensional networks crosslinked with a linear structure. This structure may facilitate high water sorption and enhance the adsorption of dyes and heavy metal ions \u003csup\u003e17–22\u003c/sup\u003e. For example, Chitosan -g-Poly\u0026nbsp;acrylic acid /gelatin semi-IPN xerogels have been reported to adsorb Cu\u003csup\u003e2+\u003c/sup\u003e at 261.08 mg/g capacity \u003csup\u003e23\u003c/sup\u003e. The most effective manufacturing process for semi-IPN xerogels uses radical polymerization, as it leads to better mechanical properties and absorption than other processes \u003csup\u003e24\u003c/sup\u003e as well as being\u0026nbsp;efficient and low cost\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e25\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;Quaternary ammonium-containing poly[2-(acryloyloxy) ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride P(ClAETA) xerogels have been studied and widely used as cationic groups in anion-exchange polymer electrolytes with an absorption capacity of 142 mg/g and removing\u0026nbsp;As(V) ions with 100% efficiency at pH 8 using ultrafiltration \u003csup\u003e26\u003c/sup\u003e. Starch-grafted itaconic acid xerogels were fabricated by copolymerization of itaconic acid and cornstarch in the presence of an acrylamide crosslinker and a sodium bisulfite initiator pair and showed 86.36 mg/g Cu absorption at pH 3.5 \u003csup\u003e27\u003c/sup\u003e. Previously, the authors developed biopolymer-derived xerogels through the incorporation of synthetic materials using polyacrylamide/chitosan (PAAM/chitosan) and applying them to the adsorption of As(V). An adsorption capacity of 17.8 mg/g at pH 5.0 was reported. The use of polyacrylic acid/alginate (PAA/alginate) xerogels has also been studied for the adsorption of Cu(II), yielding an adsorption capacity of 63.59 mg/g at pH 4.0 \u003csup\u003e28\u003c/sup\u003e. Therefore, a semi-IPN xerogel based on chitosan-PCIAETA and alginate-itaconic acid to adsorb As (V) and Cu (II) has been developed. Consequently, a semi-IPN can be formed with chitosan, which belongs to the categories of polysaccharides forming cationic charge polymers owing to its amino acid groups (–NH\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e) that form a quaternary ammonium cation depending on pH \u003csup\u003e29\u003c/sup\u003e. To conclude, it is the proposal of this investigation that semi-IPN can demonstrate good adsorption properties for As(V) and Cu(II), since the presence of amino groups in chitosan along with hydroxyl groups in alginate are beneficial for adsorption\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e30\u003c/sup\u003e. The novelty of the prepared xerogels is linked to their rapid and high adsorption capacity and the observation that their functional group and the linear nature of the semi-IPN cross-linked structure helps in metal diffusion and adsorption interactions.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials and methods","content":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.1. Chemical Regents\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eChitosan (85% deacetylation, Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), sodium alginate (90% carboxylation, Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), itaconic acid (\u0026ge;99% Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), [2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride solution (80 wt%, Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (Sigma‒Aldrich, USA), ammonium persulfate (Sigma‒Aldrich, Turkey), copper standard solution (Merck, Germany), arsenic standard solution (Merck, Germany), and nitric acid 65% (Merck, Germany) were used for the experiments. All chemicals were used as is without further processing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.2 Synthesis of the xerogels\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs shown in \u003cstrong\u003eFigure (1)\u003c/strong\u003e, xerogels were manufactured using a radical polymerization method. In short, aqueous solutions of alginate (24 wt. %) with itaconic acid or chitosan (24 wt. %) with P(ClAETA) were prepared in Schlenk tubes, and an N,N\u0026apos;-Methylenebisacrylamide MBA crosslinker and persulfate (APS) initiating agent were added. The solution was then purged with oxygen-free nitrogen gas for 20 min. The sealed tubes were then placed in a water bath (60 \u0026plusmn; 1\u0026deg;C). The resulting xerogels were then washed, frozen, lyophilized, dried and then applied to a sieve in order to get 250 to 350 mesh-size pieces.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter preparing the xerogels, the yields were calculated to determine the resulting structures, as shown in Table 1.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTable 1. Amounts of reagents used in each synthesis and its yield. N,N\u0026apos;-Methylenebisacrylamide MBA (0.3114 g) and ammonium persulfate APS (0.0040 g) were used for itaconic acid, and PSA (0.0116 g) was used for PCIAETA.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"617\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eN\u0026ordm; Tube\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBiopolymer amount (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eITA (g) \u0026plusmn; 0.005 g\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlginate (g) \u0026plusmn; 0.005 g\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eYields (%)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.441\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e98.3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.441\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.577\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e91.2\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eN\u0026ordm; Tube\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePercentage (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePCIAETA (ml) \u0026plusmn; 0.005 ml\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChitosan (g) \u0026plusmn; 0.005 g\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYields (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.3 ml (1.4716 g)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.000\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e97.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 85px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 113px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.3 ml (1.4716 g)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 170px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.589\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 78px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92.4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.3 Heavy Metal Removal Study\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA known weight of dry xerogels was added to a Falcon tube, and 10 mL of a heavy metal solution (dosages of 10, 50, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 800, and 1000 mg/L were used were necessary) was added. The samples were then placed in an orbital shaker for a certain period (10 min to 8 hours) at room temperature (heating was applied before adding and every 10 minutes heated again), after which the solid powder was removed by filtration. Metal concentration was then determined using atomic adsorption spectrometry (AAS). The adsorption capacities were calculated using the following equation:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"data:image/png;base64,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\" width=\"285\" height=\"25\"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ewhere q\u003csub\u003ee\u003c/sub\u003e is the quantity of adsorbed Cu(II) per gram of sample, C\u003csub\u003ei\u003c/sub\u003e and C\u003csub\u003ee\u003c/sub\u003e are the concentrations of metal ions in the initial solution and at equilibrium, respectively (mmol/L), V is the solution volume of the metal ion solution added (mL), and m is the amount of adsorbent used (g) \u003csup\u003e31\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2.4 Absorbent Characterization\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFTIR 500 and 4000 cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003eanalysis was conducted using a PerkinElmer UATR Spectrum Two in ATR configuration. Scans were conducted between 500 and 4000cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, with a number of scans of 60 and resolution of 2 cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTGA analysis was conducted using a TG 209 F1 system by IRIS, NETZSCH. The samples were heated to 600\u0026deg;C at 10 \u0026deg;C/min under an inert nitrogen atmosphere.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results and discussion","content":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.1. FTIR analysis \u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe synthesized polymers were characterized using FTIR spectroscopy in the 400-4000 cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e range for all xerogels. The FTIR spectra for \u003cstrong\u003epoly(ClAETA)\u003c/strong\u003e are shown in \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 2(a)\u003c/strong\u003e. \u0026nbsp;Signals of the functional groups of 2-(acryloyloxy)ethyltrimethylammonium chloride (ClAETA) monomer remaine\u003csup\u003e32\u003c/sup\u003e, and the bending band of the quaternary ammonium groups (\u0026minus;N\u003csup\u003e+\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e(CH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)) was observed at 1483 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1 33\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;The addition of chitosan resulted in a decrease in the spectra at 1765 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1\u003c/sup\u003e attributed to the vibration of the carbonyl bond (C=O) and a change in the region from 2750 to 3600 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1\u003c/sup\u003e as a result of the vibration of the amine group in the chitosan and its vibration along with the quaternary amine group \u003csup\u003e30,34\u003c/sup\u003e .Two peaks were confirmed for the formation of a primary amine at 800 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1\u003c/sup\u003e and 1765 cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e, indicating that chitosan adopts a linear structure around the semi-IPN structure xerogels \u003csup\u003e35\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe FTIR spectra for \u003cstrong\u003epolyitaconic acid (PIA) xerogels\u003c/strong\u003e are shown in \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 2(b)\u003c/strong\u003e. In the case of \u003cstrong\u003ePIA/alginate 24%,\u003c/strong\u003e peaks at 3291 and 3084 cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e indicate OH stretching and absorption at approximately 1370 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003eindicating asymmetric and symmetric absorption of the C-O bond. When alginate was added, the intensity of the bands at 1392, 1300, 1112, and 1698 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1\u003c/sup\u003e increased \u003csup\u003e30,36\u003c/sup\u003e. Bands at 1457 and 1163 cm\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;1\u003c/sup\u003e were attributed to the ―C\u0026ndash;O― and ―OH-carboxyl extension (―COOH) coupling interactions and their decrosslinking, confirming the structure of semi-IPN \u003csup\u003e37\u003c/sup\u003e. The FTIR spectra displays a small absorption peak at a low frequency (1698 cm\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e). The increase in the absorption frequency of the \u0026ndash;COO group corresponds to the linear structure of alginate, which has a semi-IPN structure \u003csup\u003e38,39\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.2. TGA Characterization\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe TGA curves of the P(ClAETA) and P(ClAETA)/chitosan 24% xerogels are shown in \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 3\u003c/strong\u003e(A). A weight loss of approximately 10% was observed from 50 to 100 \u0026deg;C, which was attributed to the loss of absorbed water and volatile elements. In the two other decomposition systems, a weight loss of approximately 41% was observed owing to the decomposition of the polymers in the 270-370\u0026deg;C temperature range. Likewise, a weight loss of approximately 23% was observed from 380 to 500\u0026deg;C, which corresponds to main structure decomposition, different decomposition systems, polymer main chain degradation, and ash generation. While both materials demonstrated thermal stability, it was superior for xerogels containing chitosan, which showed enhanced resistance. TGA results confirmed the stable formation of the xerogel network, as evidenced by the improvement in thermal resistance \u003csup\u003e37,40,41\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the case of P(ClAETA) composite xerogels, a peak was observed at 390\u0026ndash;410\u0026deg;C, which is consistent with exothermic reactions resulting from the decomposition of the ammonium salt. Hence, there was a difference in stability between the xerogels \u003csup\u003e32,42\u003c/sup\u003e. Additionally, DTG was performed to confirm the formation of a linear polymer on the semi-IPN and determine its thermal stability. DTG analysis \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 3(a)\u003c/strong\u003e exhibits a first decomposition peak corresponding to the clusters. The peak collapse of the hydrocarbon chain shifted to a slightly higher temperature (172\u0026deg;C). These results demonstrate that carboxylic acid groups decompose and that conformational carboxyl groups (R─COO\u0026minus;) evolve within the polymeric chain \u003csup\u003e43\u003c/sup\u003e. The TGA curves show two distinct areas of weight loss. Initial\u003cspan dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003eweight loss (13%) occurred from 50-100\u0026deg;C and can be attributed to volatile elements in the sample. The second region of weight loss (42.2%) at 200-380\u0026deg;C may be attributed to polymer decomposition. A third weight loss zone (14%) appeared at 380-500\u0026deg;C may be attributed to polymer xerogel degradation and the formation of ash and carbon \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 3(b)\u003c/strong\u003e \u003csup\u003e44\u003c/sup\u003e. By contrast, when alginate was added, the resulting composite had a lower thermal stability than the original polymer\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e45\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.3\u0026nbsp;As(V) and Cu(II) removal as a function of pH\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003epH is the primary factor affecting the retention and adsorption of As(V) onto a polymer. At pH 9, As(V) was retained more easily than at higher or lower pH. As(V) was retained by the polymer through ion exchange, as shown in\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 4(a)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csup\u003e46\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe equilibrium constants of As(V) in an aqueous medium are:\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e ⇆\u0026nbsp;H\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e + H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e (pK\u003csub\u003ea1\u003c/sub\u003e = 2.22) (2)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eH\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e ⇆\u0026nbsp;H\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e + HAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e2-\u003c/sup\u003e (pK\u003csub\u003ea2\u003c/sub\u003e = 6.98) (3)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e2-\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003e⇆\u0026nbsp;H\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e + AsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e3-\u003c/sup\u003e (pK\u003csub\u003ea3\u003c/sub\u003e = 11.53) (4)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirstly, at pH 3 (acidic) media, monovalent anionic species (H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e-) are the dominant states, and their adsorption is low. Secondly, at pH 6, oxygenated arsenic species are dominantly monovalent (H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) and divalent (HAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e2\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) in equilibrium. The ability to react with the P(CIAETA) polymer depends on the presence of a positively charged quaternary ammonium group, N\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e (CH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e, which reacts freely with arsenate anions. Approximately 90% of a 10 mg/L arsenate anion solution were removed at a pH of 9. This can be explained by an increase in ionic strength resulting in a decrease in the electrostatic interactions of the polymeric \u0026ldquo;complexes\u0026rdquo;. Higher pH\u0026nbsp;values (7\u0026ndash;12)\u0026nbsp;favored the anionic diatomic species HAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e2-\u003c/sup\u003e. It has been speculated that one of the factors influencing the exchange selectivity would be the polarity of the functional group. This is due to the balance between\u0026nbsp;the monovalent (H\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e\u0026minus;\u003c/sup\u003e) and divalent (HAsO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e2-\u003c/sup\u003e) anions. Divalent anions are favored over monovalent anions by anionic exchangers\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e47,48\u003c/sup\u003e. As such, increasing the ionic strength at pH of 9 can improve the ability of the quaternary ammonium group to interact with the anion exchange group of the polymer methylammonium chloride P(ClAETA) for arsenate absorption. This is because the chloride anion is easily released by the hydrophobic sites of the larger, polarized quaternary ammonium groups, promoting\u0026nbsp;easy attachment to the quaternary ammonium group\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e49\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003epH is an important factor in copper ion adsorption onto xerogels. Copper ions are present in aqueous solutions in \u0026nbsp;Cu(II), Cu(OH), and Cu(OH)\u003csub\u003e2\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sub\u003eforms. At pH lower than 5.0, Cu(OH)\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e is highly soluble. However, at pH values greater than 5.0, Cu(OH)\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e becomes very insoluble, making copper ions precipitate more easily. The adsorption of Cu(II) ions on the xerogel is dominated by electrostatic interactions between the surface of the adsorbent and Cu(II) ions. This is because most alginate and itaconic acid OH groups ionize in acidic media, while the COO- functional groups remain negatively charged. The pK\u003csub\u003ea1\u003c/sub\u003e value of itaconic acid corresponds to pH values higher than 3.85. Hence, the carboxyl groups were ionized and had stronger electrostatic forces, indicating that they were all ionized, and the surface acquired a negative charge that facilitates Cu(II) adsorption \u003csup\u003e50\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 4(d)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003edemonstrates that copper adsorption increased as solution pH increased, reaching its highest level at pH 4.5, agreeing with its nominal pKa values \u003csup\u003e51\u003c/sup\u003e. Nevertheless, increasing pH progressively increased adsorption because multiple carboxyl groups (itaconic acid) became ionized and provided additional binding sites for copper ion adsorption. Therefore, excessive adsorption resulted from complex breakage because of electrostatic repulsion between carboxyl groups, pushing the network chains apart. It is also possible to achieve lower copper adsorption at low pH values (pH 2-3). These results could be explained by the surface\u0026apos;s abundance of H\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e ions, which bind with COO\u003csup\u003e-\u003c/sup\u003e and H\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e groups to generate COOH groups. Notably, these groups eventually formed hydrogen bonds with the carboxyl groups of itaconic acid, causing a decrease in the surface layer. The degree of ion adsorption decreased with the surface layer, which functioned as a barrier \u003csup\u003e52\u003c/sup\u003e. To summarize, pH may also affect surface charge distributions in semi-IPN, along with the density and relative charge attributes of the surface. Mobile ionic charges in the adsorption layer are superficially charged because of ionic carboxylic acid groups \u003csup\u003e53\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.4\u0026nbsp;Effect of adsorbent weight on metal removal\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe xerogels obtained were submitted into a variable quantitative weight study showing that as the surface area of PCIAETA increased, the higher the absorbance of arsenic\u0026nbsp;\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 4(b)\u003c/strong\u003e. The effect of ionic strength is more evident in surface adsorption owing to the increase in functional groups, and the increase reaches a plateau as the ionic strengths do not increase \u003csup\u003e54\u003c/sup\u003e. The addition of chitosan can reduce the nanostructure porosity and therefore\u0026nbsp;adsorption capacity\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e55\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;On the other hand, considering Cu(II) ions at 10 mg/L \u0026nbsp;concentration, the results obtained demonstrated\u0026nbsp;that increasing the amount of adsorbent, increased the effective surface area\u0026nbsp;Figure\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;4(e)\u003c/strong\u003e. However, additional experiments are required to obtain more conclusive results and determine the real potential of these systems for use in water treatment \u003csup\u003e56\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003cspan dir=\"RTL\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/span\u003eThese results suggest that the side chains of the itaconic unit may have some effect on\u0026nbsp;adsorption\u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e57\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.5\u0026nbsp;Effect of contact time on metal removal\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother crucial factor for the adsorption process is the contact time between adsorbent and adsorbate. This is due to inherent limitations in the kinetic process of adsorption onto the absorbent \u003csup\u003e58\u003c/sup\u003e. The adsorbate is transferred from the bulk of the solution to the liquid layer around the solid adsorbent through a process known as bulk diffusion\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;59\u003c/sup\u003e. A progressive increase in the adsorption contact time for As(V) ions was observed, culminating in a peak at 60 min \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 4 (c)\u003c/strong\u003e. As demonstrated, for all metal ion concentrations, the adsorption capacity increased with increasing contact time until equilibrium was attained. This is because at basic pH, polymers containing quaternary ammonium groups N(CH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e have the greatest capacity to adsorb oxyanions. Adding chitosan as a linear polymer might block N(CH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e\u003csup\u003e+\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026nbsp; groups \u0026nbsp;from adsorbing and restrict active sites\u003csup\u003e60\u003c/sup\u003e. At the desorption onset, adsorption either plateaus or decreases. This may be due to unpacking and secondary unloading processes \u0026nbsp;\u003csup\u003e61\u003c/sup\u003e. The effect of contact time on Cu(II) adsorption by 0% and 24% \u0026nbsp;Polyitaconic acid/alginate xerogels were studied. The adsorption results at different contact times are shown in \u003cstrong\u003eFigure 4 (f)\u003c/strong\u003e. At the initiation of adsorption, there was an adsorption peak at 10 min, where adsorption capacity reached 2 mg/g and 50% removal, and Cu(II) adsorption increased rapidly. This is because, at the beginning of the process, adsorption occurs on the outer and inner surfaces of the polymers, with a rapid rate. After 60 min, adsorption almost reached equilibrium. After the equilibrium period, the amount of adsorbed Cu(II) effectively plateaued. Therefore, the adsorption rate was low because of metal diffusion into polymer pores . This indicates that the resulting materials formed strong bonds with Cu(II) ions \u003csup\u003e51,62,63\u003c/sup\u003e. Alginate addition may have resulted in a surface area increase for the material as it contained more binding sites, increasing its Cu(II) adsorption capacity. In addition, carboxyl groups on the mannuronic blocks (M-blocks) were readily engaged in the adsorption process, and the edges were engaged in Cu(II) chelation \u003csup\u003e64,65\u003c/sup\u003e. Alginate also increases the adsorption of positively charged metal ions through electrostatic attraction and increases the adsorption time. This also increases the number of functional groups that contain a negative charge, which helps to increase branching, resulting in better adsorption \u003csup\u003e66\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree kinetic models were employed in this study: pseudo-first-order (PFO), pseudo-second-order (PSO), and Elovich. The results of these kinetic models are presented in Table 2.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe adsorption kinetic models are essential for characterizing both adsorption efficiency and the overall adsorption process. The PFO kinetic model was determined to be the most suitable for the adsorption of copper using both PIA xerogels, while the PSO model was applicable for arsenic adsorption, attributed to chemical reactions and active sites. Analysis of the k\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (g/mg.min) and q\u003csub\u003ee\u003c/sub\u003e (mg/g) values indicates that the adsorption of copper occurs at a significantly faster rate compared arsenic \u003csup\u003e67\u0026ndash;69\u003c/sup\u003e. Furthermore, copper has a higher diffusion rate onto the adsorbent surface, while arsenic requires more time to reach the adsorption sites Figure 5(A,D) \u003csup\u003e70\u003c/sup\u003e. The Elovich model suggests the presence of adsorption sites associated with a multilayer adsorption process in PIA and PCIAETA at 0% Figure 5(B,C), whereas the biopolymer appears to form an insulating layer, facilitating absorption onto the linear polymer \u003csup\u003e71,72\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 2.\u0026nbsp;Kinetic results for each absorbate ion.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"633\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eModel\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParameter\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 98px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePIA 24%\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCu\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePIA\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCu\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePCIAETA \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; As (V)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePCIAETA 24%\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAs (V)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePFO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eq\u003csub\u003ee\u003c/sub\u003e (mg/g)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eK\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e (1/min)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAARE%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 98px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.77\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.243\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.865\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.038\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.889\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.291\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.939\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.075\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.56\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.025\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.77\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.097\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePSO\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eq\u003csub\u003ee\u003c/sub\u003e (mg/g)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eK\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e (g/mg.min)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAARE%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 98px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.86\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.99\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.005\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.31\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.859\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.99\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.196\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.954\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.057\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.81\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.017\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.769\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 66px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eElovich\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 130px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ea (mg.g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e.min)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026beta; (mg.g\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eR\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eAARE%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 98px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.5\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.059\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.48\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.88\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.018\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.983\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.00153\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 123px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.91\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.84\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.072\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.20\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.83\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.065\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.6 Effect of concentration of metal ions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe adsorption of As(V) and Cu(II) ions at concentrations of 10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 mg/L was determined. The adsorption capacity and effectiveness increased with chitosan concentration; however, this effect was more pronounced in chitosan-free xerogels, indicating the P(ClAETA) has a high capacity for As(V) ion removal \u003cstrong\u003e(see\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 6(a,c))\u003c/strong\u003e. Additionally, as previously mentioned, the functional groups in the xerogel result from the presence of more moieties that engage in anion exchange with the solution\u003csup\u003e\u0026nbsp;73\u003c/sup\u003e. \u0026nbsp; Finally, complementary sites may exist because of the arrangement of chains, creating tightly packed coils with electrostatic interactions. Interestingly, even at extremely high As concentrations, polymerization preserved recovery efficiency. This may be due to the thermodynamic equilibrium being dependent on conformational shifts in the solution-state structure of the polymer \u003csup\u003e74\u003c/sup\u003e. Thus, as concentration increased at a basic pH, a strong retention ability of the polymers was observed. This may be due to the presence of divalent species, which can contribute to complex formation. This suggests that proton extraction may be used to separate additional active sites. When the molar ratio of the copolymers was not equal, a significant number of quaternary ammonium groups were free and ready to bond with the arsenate solution \u003csup\u003e75\u003c/sup\u003e. Because of the sieving effect of fine salts or the rapid dissociation of weak polyelectrolytes, the majority of-N(CH\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e)\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e groups were free to react with arsenate anions, increasing the retention capacity and causing a decrease in the electrostatic interactions of polymeric adsorbents. P(ClAETA) polymers containing chloride anion-exchange groups demonstrated a higher capacity to remove As(v) than chitosan, which has an amino/acetamido anion-exchange group. Arsenate oxyanions can therefore be absorbed onto polymers with chloride-anion-exchange groups at basic pH levels\u003csup\u003e76,77\u003c/sup\u003e.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFigure 6(b,d)\u003c/strong\u003e shows the adsorbent versus increasing initial Cu(II) concentration. An increase in adsorption as concentration rose was observed owing to the higher concentration gradient between the adsorbates in the solution and the xerogel. Xerogel containing 24% alginate exhibited a slightly higher adsorption capacity than the 0%. This is due to an increase in the number of active sites on the xerogel surface available for Cu(II) adsorption \u003csup\u003e50\u003c/sup\u003e. Absorbate ions are favorably adsorbed under acidic conditions on positively charged surfaces because of their surface chemical structure, which may include carboxyl (R-COOH) and hydroxyl (R-OH) groups that become negatively charged R-COO\u0026minus; and R-O\u0026minus; groups \u003csup\u003e78\u003c/sup\u003e. It was also observed that metal ion adsorption increased as metal ion concentration rose in the feed. This is because of the constant adsorption capacity of the xerogel, which means a significant number of unbound metal ions remain in solution at high feed metal ion concentrations \u003csup\u003e37\u003c/sup\u003e This process is initially dominated by a surface adhesion mechanism. Subsequently, copper ions permeate the polymeric matrix. This effect was confirmed by the green hue of the xerogel following the removal procedure \u003csup\u003e43\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn increase in porosity and total pore size of the xerogel due to the association/dissociation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds within the xerogel at higher temperatures; \u003cstrong\u003esee Figure 7(a)\u003c/strong\u003e. Reaching an adsorption capacity of 30 mg/g and a removal efficiency of 76% \u003cstrong\u003e(Figure 7(b)).\u003c/strong\u003e The thermodynamic parameters (i.e., \u0026Delta;G\u0026ordm;, \u0026Delta;S\u0026ordm;, \u0026Delta;H\u0026ordm;) for arsenic adsorptiom were endothermic due to the density (\u0026ldquo;concentration\u0026rdquo;) of absorbing species being higher, and the process of adsorption was favored at high temperature \u003csup\u003e79\u003c/sup\u003e. While higher temperatures can facilitate the inner-sphere bidentate or monodentate complexes of arsenic \u003csup\u003e80\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.7\u0026nbsp;Isotherm models (Langmuir and Freundlich)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIsotherm studies (Langmuir and Freundlich) provide insights into both monolayer and multilayer adsorption processes. These models were employed to analyze the effectiveness of xerogels as adsorbents, particularly in relation to variations in adsorbate concentration. The linear plot (R\u003csub\u003eL\u003c/sub\u003e = 1) in both arsenic and copper represents how low-capacity monolayer adsorption occurs at monomolecular adsorption specific homogeneous sites \u003csup\u003e81,82\u003c/sup\u003e. The K\u003csub\u003eL\u003c/sub\u003e (L mg\u003csup\u003e-1\u003c/sup\u003e) parameter, which represents the energy of sorption, indicates the affinity of the binding sites, with values of -3.12 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e-18\u003c/sup\u003e for arsenic and -3.5 \u0026times; 10\u003csup\u003e-18\u0026nbsp;\u003c/sup\u003efor copper. These values imply that the adsorption process does not conform to the assumptions of the Langmuir model \u003csup\u003e83,84\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Freundlich adsorption isotherm characterizes the amount of adsorbate removed per unit weight of the adsorbent, which is influenced by the active sites on a heterogeneous surface. The K\u003csub\u003ef\u003c/sub\u003e values for arsenic and copper are both 0.397, indicating that this value rises with increasing adsorbate removal capacity \u003csup\u003e85,86\u003c/sup\u003e. Therefore, the findings suggest that the adsorption mechanism is characterized by multilayer adsorption on heterogeneous sites (\u003cstrong\u003esee Figure 8)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003csup\u003e87\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.8\u0026nbsp;RSM response surface\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe enhancement of adsorption can be achieved through the application of the Response Surface Methodology (RSM), which considers factors such as time, adsorption efficiency, maximum arsenic concentration, and adsorption capacity. The optimal conditions for the effective removal of As(V) utilizing PCIAETA 0% \u003cstrong\u003esee Figure 9\u003c/strong\u003e, were identified to improve the parameters associated with its adsorption and to evaluate the sensitivity of the response to each influencing factor \u003csup\u003e88\u0026ndash;90\u003c/sup\u003e. It was found that the ideal conditions for arsenic adsorption were a pH of 9, a contact time of 60 minutes, an initial As(V) concentration ranging from 10 to 500 mg/L, and a temperature of 60 \u0026ordm;C. In turn, the ideal conditions for copper adsorption were a pH of 4.5, a contact time of 90 min, and an initial concentration ranging from 10 to 500 mg/L.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3.9\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eComparison of the removal capacity of As(V) and Cu(II) with other adsorbents\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3\u003c/strong\u003e lists recent studies on xerogels adsorbents for the removal of As (V) and Cu(II) compared with the results from this study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable 3. Recent studies on some adsorbents of As(V) and Cu(II)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"586\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 586px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable (A) Adsorbents for arsenic - As (V)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdsorbent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTest solution Concentration (mg/L)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epH -\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAs(V) (mg/g)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eR (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRef\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003echitosan-coated biosorbent\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100 \u0026ndash; 1000 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4 - 25\u0026plusmn;0.5 \u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e96.5\u0026nbsp;mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e91\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003echitosan-g-vinylcaprolactam/N-N-dimethylacrylamide\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100\u0026ndash;250\u0026thinsp;\u0026micro;g/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH (7.6\u0026ndash;8.3) 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.0022\u0026nbsp;mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e46%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e92\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003emagnetite (Fe\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e4\u003c/sub\u003e)/Chitosan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1500 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 6.7\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79.49\u0026nbsp;mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e99.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e93\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eelectrospun chitosan nanofiber - lanthanum\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e83.6 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e94\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChitosan particles\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 6.5 - 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.302 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e95\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eFunctional Iron Chitosan Microspheres\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e200 \u0026ndash; 2000 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 5 - 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e120.77 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e88.9%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e96\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP(ClAETA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 - 84\u0026thinsp;mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 8\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e142\u0026nbsp;mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100 %\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e97\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP(ClAETA)/Chitosan\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1000 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 9 - 25\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP(ClAETA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1000 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 9 - 25\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e82 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP(ClAETA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 9 - 60\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e92%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eP(ClAETA)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 9 - 60\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e76%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 586px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable (B) Adsorbent for copper - Cu (II)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdsorbent\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConcentration (mg/L)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003epH -\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemp (\u0026deg;C)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCu (II) (mg/g)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eR (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReference\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ePoly(Vinylpyrrolidone-Itaconic Acid)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1500 to 2500 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4.7 - 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e131 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e51\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eXanthan-g-poly(Itaconic acid)/bentonite\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e200 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 5 - 25\u0026thinsp;\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e188.4 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e36\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epoly(ethylene terephthalate)-g-itaconic acid/acrylamide\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e50 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;pH 4 - 20\u0026ndash;60 \u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.709 - 10.940 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e98\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epoly(acrylic acid-co-itaconic acid)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e640 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4.7 -\u0026nbsp;50\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e72.7 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e99\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eMxene/alginate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e500 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 6 - 60\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e87.6 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e63.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e100\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ecarbon nanotube/calcium alginate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 5 - 20\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e67.9 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e69.9%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e101\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ealginate-polyethyleneimine\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.4 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4 - 45\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.27 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95.1%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e102\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eCalcium-Alginate/Spent-Coffee-GroundsCalcium-Alginate/Spent-Coffee-Grounds\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e100 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4 - 30\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.184 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e86.86%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e103\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eChitosan-Alginate and Aspergillus australensis\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e200 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 5-35\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26.1 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e79%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e104\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003ealginate-g-poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e135 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4.5 - 50\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e77%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003csup\u003e105\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eItaconic acid/Alginate\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1000 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4.5 - 25\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e94 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 165px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eItaconic acid\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 114px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1000 mg/L\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 65px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003epH 4.5 - 25\u0026deg;C\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e90 mg/g\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 64px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.5%\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 83px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThis work\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdsorption is a useful technique for the removal of a wide range of contaminants in the treatment and remediation of large quantities of water \u003csup\u003e106\u003c/sup\u003e, The recycling of xerogels makes this technique potentially commercially viable. There is growing interest in synthesizing new adsorbents to remove metal ions. Carbon nanotubes and magnetic nanoparticles have been used to improve xerogel efficiency. In comparison with other xerogel composite systems, the xerogels produced for this study demonstrated reasonable effectiveness with similar or better removal than some of the other materials reported \u003csup\u003e107\u003c/sup\u003e. However, Alginate and chitosan cannot be used alone and need to be modified; their capacity to adsorb metals may be altered or even improved through adding different materials \u003csup\u003e108\u003c/sup\u003e. The differences observed in Table (3) indicate that factors other than the surface moieties presented may affect adsorption capacity. As such, adsorption capacity depends on pore size, structure, morphology, temperature, and pH, as well as the presence of surface-active functional groups. Adsorption kinetics depend on several factors, such as metal concentration, adsorbent dosage, the preparation and modification of the xerogel, and changes in the mechanical strength and swelling ratio owing to the modification of the structure of the xerogels in the networks. This reveals that the xerogel composites have better mechanical properties and adsorption capacities than pure xerogels \u003csup\u003e108\u0026ndash;111\u003c/sup\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"4. Conclusions","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this study, semi-IPN xerogels were synthesized via radical polymerization to form anionic and cationic polymers containing different functional groups as ion-exchange groups for As(V) and Cu(II). FTIR spectroscopy was used to determine the functional groups of the xerogel structures. Xerogels containing poly(ClAETA) exhibited higher thermal stability than xerogels containing poly(ClAETA)/chitosan under TGA/DTG. The adsorption capacity for As(V) at room temperature reached 82.3 mg/g for the 1000 mg/L dose at pH 9. Quaternary ammonium polymers exhibited the greatest ability to remove As(V) ions (R\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;90%) for a 10 mg/L concentration at an elevated temperature of 60\u0026ordm;C. In contrast, FTIR spectra of the PIA/alginate xerogels indicated that the -NH\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e,\u0026ndash;OH, and -COOH groups participated in the adsorption process. From the TGA analysis of the itaconic acid/alginate xerogels, increasing alginate content decreases thermal stability. The ability of xerogels to remove Cu(II) ions from an aqueous solution was also studied. It was found that the optimal adsorption capacity of the xerogel was at a pH of 4.5 and a weight of 50 mg. The adsorption amount increased with increasing concentrations; at 1000 mg/L, the adsorption capacity was 94 mg/g with itaconic acid/alginate 24% xerogels.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study provides a window for the further improvement of adsorption capacity through the chemical modification of xerogel systems. These materials may prove valuable for water resource rehabilitation in the future.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eA.B.C. and E wrote the main manuscript text, and C.D.E. prepared the figures.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe authors thank FONDECYT [grant number 1231498], ANID, PCI [grant number NSFC190021] and Proyecto POSTDOC_DICYT, C\u0026oacute;digo 022342TG_Postdoc, Vicerrector\u0026iacute;a de Investigaci\u0026oacute;n, Innovaci\u0026oacute;n y Creaci\u0026oacute;n.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoliman NK, Moustafa AF (2020) Industrial solid waste for heavy metals adsorption features and challenges; a review. 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Environ Sci Pollut Res 27:12967\u0026ndash;12994\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"polymer-bulletin","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"pobu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Polymer Bulletin](http://link.springer.com/journal/289)","snPcode":"289","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/289/3","title":"Polymer Bulletin","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Semi-interpenetrating polymer networks, Adsorption, Alginate, Arsenic, Chitosan, Copper, xerogels, Water purification","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6940692/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6940692/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn this work, the removal of As(V) using poly[2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride/chitosan (PClAETA/chitosan) and of Cu(II) using polyitaconic acid/alginate (PIA/alginate) xerogels has been reported. In this system cationic (PClAETA/chitosan) -N+(CH3)3 Cl- groups have been proposed to be involved in the adsorption of As(V), and anionic (PIA/alginate) OH and \u0026ndash;COOH groups have been proposed for Cu(II) ion adsorption. These xerogels were characterized by FTIR and TGA-DGA. FTIR showed the presence of \u0026ndash;OH and \u0026ndash;COOH groups possibly involved in Cu(II) ion adsorption and NH₂ and N⁺(CH₃)₃ groups involved in As(V) adsorption. TGA-DGA demonstrated good thermal stability for all xerogel systems. Adsorption studies were performed using a batch adsorption technique. The As(V) adsorption capacity of PClAETA/chitosan at room temperature and pH 9 at lower concentrations was 82.3 mg/g and reached fast adsorption around 45 minutes. At the same time, the adsorption study for PClAETA/chitosan yielded 76% removal efficiency and an adsorption capacity of 30 mg/g of arsenic at 60\u0026ordm;C for a solution concentration of 100 mg/L. Meanwhile, the Cu(II) adsorption capacity of PIA/alginate at pH 4.5 and lower concentrations reached 93 mg/g, with a faster adsorption of around 5 minutes. This work reports the synthesis and characterization of novel semi-IPN xerogels, which demonstrated tunable adsorption properties by controlling their surface moieties and nanoscale structure, which is useful for wastewater treatment systems.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Synthesis of Alginate-synthetic and Chitosan-synthetic polymer Semi-IPN Xerogels for the removal of As(V) and Cu(II) ions","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-06-30 16:36:10","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6940692/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2025-08-24T13:56:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-08-24T06:25:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"318074686521237502749837348172997516671","date":"2025-08-20T08:09:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-07-14T17:11:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"125490778850316620270780295013904767467","date":"2025-07-09T09:55:55+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-06-26T12:53:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-06-26T07:56:25+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-06-21T10:10:39+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Polymer Bulletin","date":"2025-06-20T16:43:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"polymer-bulletin","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"pobu","sideBox":"Learn more about [Polymer Bulletin](http://link.springer.com/journal/289)","snPcode":"289","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/289/3","title":"Polymer Bulletin","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"f8b46a3b-e5b1-4231-8488-fb01faf07956","owner":[],"postedDate":"June 30th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-22T16:01:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6940692","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-025-06172-w","journal":{"identity":"polymer-bulletin","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Polymer Bulletin"},"publishedOn":"2025-12-15 15:57:39","publishedOnDateReadable":"December 15th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-06-30 16:36:10","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s00289-025-06172-w","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00289-025-06172-w","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6940692","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6940692","identity":"rs-6940692","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}