Glutaraldehyde-Crosslinked BSA Hydrogels for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Co²⁺ Removal
Description
Heavy metal contamination remains a critical threat to water quality, particularly in effluents associated with industrial activities such as electroplating. This study presents an exploratory proof of concept for a simplified and low-requirement method to fabricate bovine serum albumin (BSA) hydrogels crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA) as protein-based adsorbents for Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, and Co²⁺ removal. Hydrogel slabs were prepared using BSA concentrations of 20% and 25% (w/v) and GA in the 0.6–1.0% (v/v) range, with formulation adjustments guided by handling and aqueous stability. Swelling behavior was monitored for 23 days, and 0.9% (v/v) GA was selected to balance network expansion with hydrogel consistency. Metal removal tests at 50–100 ppm (Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺) and 70–100 ppm (Co²⁺) showed rapid uptake approaching equilibrium within the first hours and improved performance at higher BSA content, achieving maximum removal percent-ages of 99.258% for Cu²⁺, 80.733% for Ni²⁺, and 76.070% for Co²⁺. Adsorption behaviors for Cu²⁺ and Co²⁺ aligned with the Langmuir model, while Ni²⁺ was better described by the Freundlich model. Although the scope is intentionally preliminary and limited to con-trolled synthetic systems, these results support GA-crosslinked BSA hydrogels as promising, easily fabricated adsorbents and establish a foundation for future studies on broader ion selectivity, competitive adsorption, and adsorption–desorption performance.
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Institutions
- Universidad Industrial de Santander