The influence of the deacetylation degree of chitosan in the form of flakes on the effectiveness of nitrates v sorption from aqueous solutions

The influence of the degree of deacetylation of chitosan from the range of DD = 75–90% on the effectiveness of sorption of nitrates from aqueous solutions was investigated. The scope of the research included: determining the effect of pH on the effectiveness of N-NO3 binding on chitosan sorbents and determining the sorption capacity of chitosan sorbents with different degrees of deacetylation after 5, 15, 30 and 60 minutes. The effectiveness of sorption of nitrates on chitosan sorbents increased in the series DD=75% < DD=85% < DD=90%. Regardless of the degree of deacetylation, the sorption effectiveness of nitrates on chitosan was the highest at pH 4. The amount of nitrate-related sorbents was the highest after 30 min of sorption. A process time which was too long resulted in desorption of nitrates. The maximum sorption capacity for chitosan with the degree of deacetylation DD = 75, 85 and 90% was 0.59 mg N-NO3/g, 0.60 mg N-NO3/g and 0.87 mg N-NO3/g, respectively.