The removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions at a pH of 5.0 was carried out using fixed-bed columns packed with alginate-chitosan (Alg-Ch) or alginate-chitosan sulfate (Alg-ChS) hydrogel beads. The effect of the initial Cu(II) concentration, flow rate, pH, and height of the column on the amount of Cu removed by the column at the breakpoint and at the exhaustion point is reported. The pH of the solution at the column’s exit was initially higher than that at the entrance, and then decreased slowly. This pH increase was attributed to proton transfer from the aqueous solution to the amino and COO⁻ groups of the hydrogel. The effect of operating conditions on the mass transfer zone (MTZ) and the length of the unused bed (H_LUB) is reported. At the lower flow rate and lower Cu(II) concentration used, the MTZ was completely developed and the column operated efficiently; by increasing column height, the MTZ has a better opportunity to develop fully. Experimental data were fitted to the fixed-bed Thomas model using a non-linear regression analysis and a good correspondence between experimental and Thomas model curves was observed.

Fixed-bed columns packed with chitosan-magnetite (ChM) hydrogel and chitosan (Ch) hydrogel were used for the removal of arsenate ions from aqueous solutions at a pH of 7.0. The effect of flow rate (13, 20, and 25 mL/h), height of the columns (13 and 33 cm), and initial arsenate concentration (2, 5 and 10 mg/L) on the column’s efficiency for the removal of As(V) is reported. The maximum adsorption capacity (q_b), obtained before the allowed concentration of contaminant is exceeded, the adsorption capacity (q_e) when the column is exhausted, and the mass transfer zone were determined. With this information, the efficiency of the column was calculated, which is given by the H_L/H_LUB ratio. The higher this ratio, the higher the efficiency of the column. The highest efficiency and the highest uptake capacity value at breakthrough point were obtained when using the lower flow rate, lower initial arsenate concentration, and longer bed length. When 33 cm-high columns were fed with a 10 mg As(V)/L solution at 13 mL/h, the maximum uptake capacity values at exhaustion obtained for Ch and ChM were 1.24 and 3.84 mg/g, respectively. A pH increase of the solution at the column’s exit was observed and is attributed to the proton transfer from the aqueous solution to the amino and hydroxyl groups of chitosan. The incorporation of magnetite into Ch hydrogels significantly increases their capacity to remove As(V) due to the formation of complexes between arsenic and the magnetite surface. Experimental data were fitted to the Thomas model, the Yoon–Nelson model and the Bohart–Adams model using non-linear regression analysis.

The removal of arsenate ions from aqueous solutions at near-neutral pH was carried out using chitosan-magnetite (ChM) hydrogel beads in batch systems. Equilibrium isotherms and kinetic studies are reported. Obtained equilibrium and kinetic data were fitted to mathematical models, estimating model parameters by non-linear regression analysis. Langmuir model was found to best fit equilibrium data; a maximum adsorption capacity of 66.9 mg As/g was estimated at pH 7.0. Pseudo-first order kinetic model was observed to best fit kinetic data. The pH of the solution was observed to increase with increasing contact time, which is attributed to protonation of amine groups present in the hydrogel. Protonation of functional groups in the ChM sorbent yields a higher number of active sites for arsenate removal, being as this a process that can’t be overlooked in future applications of ChM hydrogel for the removal or arsenate ions. Chitosan-magnetite and ChM-arsenate interactions were determined by XPS. Arsenate removal using fixed-bed column packed with ChM was carried out, reporting a non-ideal behavior attributed to pH increase of the effluent caused by proton transfer to ChM hydrogels.

Introduction: Antibiotic-loaded bone cements of poly(methyl methacrylate) are considered as very useful biomaterials for the management of corporal deep osseous infections. However, the high prevalence of resistant germs and polymicrobial infections makes it necessary to search for new formulations of bone cements containing antibiotics for local antibacterial therapy. In this work, bone cements loaded with drugs with different mechanism of action were evaluated to determine its antibacterial effectiveness on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methodology: Poly(methyl methacrylate) cements loaded with 10 wt.% of Oleozon®, mixtures of Ciprofloxacin/Meropenem and Ciprofloxacin/Meropenem/Oleozon® were prepared. The in vitro drugs release in water was followed by UV-Vis spectroscopy, and their antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa was evaluated for 11 days using the microdilution method. Results: All the extracts demonstrated an inhibitory effect on the growth of the strain during the whole trial period. Extracts from cement with Oleozon® only presented a total antibacterial inhibitory effect during 20 hours for the extracts taken at day 1 while the extracts from the cements loaded with mixtures of Ciprofloxacin/Meropenem and Ciprofloxacin/Meropenem/Oleozon® showed complete inhibition of the growth of the microorganism, even at 11 days. At the end of the trial period, some of the drugs remained inside the matrices, indicating that they can be released for a longer time in treatments. Conclusions: The results indicated a positive antibacterial effect by the combined used of the two or the three drugs tested against the Gram-negative bacilli Pseudomonas aeruginosa, so these proposal may be a valid alternative to be considered by surgeons.

High-quality water availability is substantial for sustaining life, so its contamination presents a serious problem that has been the focus of several studies. The presence of heavy metals, such as cadmium, is frequently studied due to the increase in the contamination levels caused by fast industrial expansion. Cadmium ions were removed from aqueous solutions at pH 7.0 by chitosan–magnetite (ChM) xerogel beads and chitosan–FeO (ChF) xerogel beads in batch systems. Kinetic studies were best modeled by the Elovich model. The adsorption isotherms obtained showed an inflection point suggesting the formation of a second layer, and the BET model adjusted to liquid–solid systems was adequate for the description of the experimental data. Maximum uptake capacities of 36.97 ± 0.77 and 28.60 ± 2.09 mg Cd/g xerogel were obtained for ChM and ChF, respectively. The studied composites are considered promising adsorbent materials for removing cadmium ions from aqueous systems.