Abstract
Chitosan has reactive amino (NH2)& hydroxyl (OH) groups on its skeleton, which could be used for chemical modifications under mild reaction conditions to alter its properties. In present work the alkylation method was opted for the preparation of carboxymethyl chitosan. The characterization of the compound was carried out via scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-rays and fourier transformation infrared (FTIR) techniques. Five small columns were prepared each contained 2 gram carboxymethyl chitosan. The columns carried copper (lI), zinc (II), chromium (IIl), iron (II) and nickel (II) solutions having concentrations of 10- 100 µg/L. When compared the order was Cu>Zn>Cr>Fe>Ni. The removal efficiency of over 86.4% - 95.1% and recovery of 100% was observed from wastewater for copper (132 mg/L), zinc (171 mg/L), chromium (118 mg/L), iron (353 mg/L) and nickel (96mg/L).