Influence of hydrolysis mechanisms on molybdate sorption isotherms using chitosan

Molybdate sorption using chitosan sorbents has proved to be strictly controlled by the pH of the solution. Sorption isotherms exhibit a sigmoid trend, which has been correlated to the appearance of polynuclear hydrolyzed species, the most favorable species for sorption on chitosan. Sorption capacity exceeds 7 mmol.g(-1), which corresponds to a molar ratio between Mo and the amine group significantly higher than 1. The formation of complexes in a pendant fashion and/or the ion-exchange mechanism of polynuclear metal ions are suspected to occur between polynuclear molybdate species and protonated amine groups, though several amine groups can interact with the same polynuclear molybdate group.