Synthesis and Application of Crosslinked Pectin Beads for Aluminium Sorption from Aqueous Solution

Heavy metal contamination of water has become one of the major environmental concerns due to rapid industrialization. Among various heavy metals, aluminium has gained considerable attention because of its toxic effects on human health and the environment. The present study describes the synthesis of crosslinked pectin beads using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator and N,N-methylene bisacrylamide (N,N-MBAAm) as a crosslinking agent for aluminium ion sorption from aqueous solution. The synthesized crosslinked pectin networks were evaluated for swelling behaviour, aluminium sorption efficiency and structural characterization by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Swelling studies revealed that pectin-cl-N,N-MBAAm-5.0% exhibited a maximum swelling response of 585% at 6 h, whereas pectin-cl-N,N-MBAAm-1.0% showed a maximum swelling response of 412%. Aluminium sorption increased with increasing contact time and temperature. The maximum aluminium uptake of 60.32% was obtained at 55°C after 24 h using the crosslinked pectin network. FTIR analysis confirmed successful modification of pectin and indicated the interaction of aluminium ions with the functional groups present in the polymer matrix. The results demonstrate that crosslinked pectin is an efficient and economical biosorbent for aluminium removal from aqueous solution and may serve as a potential alternative to conventional adsorbents.

Pectin, Aluminium, Biosorption, Crosslinked polymer, Swelling behaviour

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