Preparation and Characterization of Montmorillonite Modified Chitosan Nano-composites for Zinc Metal Removal

Nano-composites adsorbent based on chitosan (CTS), the second largest abundant
natural polymer in nature that contains high hydroxyl and amine groups has received
significant interest in adsorption application especially on heavy metals. Raw
montmorillonite (MMT) was purified and modified to form surfactant modified MMT
(Na-MMT) by adding 1 M of sodium chloride (NaCl) to increase its electronegativity
prior to the intercalation of 2:1 ratio of MMT and CTS through centrifugation and
drying technique. MMT acts as the nano-filler while distilled water and 1 v/v % of
acetic acid is used as the medium to disperse the MMT nanoparticles and CTS solution
with pH adjusted to 5 throughout the intercalation process.