SynopsisA natural polymer in a commercially available form (chitosan) has been tested using a factorial design of experiments for its application to cobalt recovery either in hydrometallurgy and in analytical separations. A simple mechanically stirred system has been used, evaluating the influence of the contact time, iron (II), cobalt (II), chitosan concentration, salinity, and pH in the separation. The pH value has a dramatic influence on the metal recovery from a negligible amount of metals at pH = 1.0 to a quantitative sorption at pH = 3.0. Linear relationships between sorbed metal and the variables have been determined at constant pH value and a quantitative evaluation of the metal recovery at different pH values can be performed using the maximum sorption capacity of the chitosan ( u o ) and the selectivity for both metals. The obtained results allow the evaluation of the recovery of metals using chitosan as solid phase.
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