Heavy metal ion (HMI) pollution from industrial activities, such as mining and electronics manufacturing, poses serious risks to human health and the environment. While various treatment methods exist, they often suffer from limitations like high costs, chemical usage, and incomplete metal removal. As a sustainable alternative, renewable materials like chitosan (a polysaccharide) have attracted attention for their strong metal-binding properties, offering an eco-friendly solution for HMI removal.

A study conducted by a team of scientists in Romania, explored the use of novel chitosan-based cryogel sorbents for capturing harmful metals like Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Cr³⁺ from industrial wastewater. To carry out the dynamic sorption experiments, researchers relied on precise and consistent flow control as well as automated sample collection. This was achieved using the LAMBDA HiFLOW peristaltic pump and the LAMBDA OMNICOLL fraction collector.

Experimental Setup for the dynamic sorption studies

A fixed-bed column (5 cm diameter × 16 cm height) was packed with a 2.5 cm monolith of the cryogel sorbent and maintained at room temperature. A controlled, continuous flow of the five-component heavy metal ion solution (1.33 mL/min) was delivered to the column using the LAMBDA HiFLOW peristaltic pump. The effluent was automatically collected every 15 minutes by the OMNICOLL fraction collector. 

Key Benefits of LAMBDA Instruments in this Study

• Hiflow Peristaltic Pump: Ensured stable flow, essential for reproducible column curves and accurate kinetic data.
• OMNICOLL Fraction Collector: Enabled automated, time-resolved sample collection, simplifying subsequent analysis of residual ion concentrations.

Reference: Humelnicu, D.; Dragan, E.S.; Ignat, M.; Dinu, M.V. A Comparative Study on Cu2+, Zn2+, Ni2+, Fe3+, and Cr3+ Metal Ions Removal from Industrial Wastewaters by Chitosan-Based Composite Cryogels. Molecules 2020, 25, 2664. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25112664

Conclusion

The Romanian study demonstrated that chitosan-based composite cryogels reinforced with natural zeolite offer an effective, sustainable solution for removing toxic metal ions such as Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Fe³⁺, and Cr³⁺ from industrial wastewaters. By combining the high affinity and chemical stability of chitosan-zeolite cryogels with the precise and reliable flow control of the LAMBDA HiFLOW peristaltic pump and the automated collection capabilities of the LAMBDA OMNICOLL fraction collector, researchers achieved reproducible dynamic sorption data and efficient fraction monitoring.

These results highlight the importance of accurate fluid handling and sample collection in adsorption and separation studies, ensuring data quality and repeatability. Overall, LAMBDA laboratory instruments proved to be robust, user-friendly, and ideally suited for dynamic sorption, desorption, and other flow-based environmental research applications, contributing to the advancement of green technologies for water purification.

LAMBDA peristaltic pumps: Practical, precise and reliable

• Flow rates from 0.01 to 60,000 ml/hour Remote control (analog and digital) of pumps.
• ON/OFF by an external signal.
• Control over the whole speed range (0 - 10 V DC, optional: 0-20 or 4-20 mA).
• LAMBDA peristaltic pump can be connected to the process control software (PCS) or to PC/laptop via RS-485 interface or RS-232 interface.

The OMNICOLL fraction collector: versatility and simplicity

By using an automated fraction collector, the sample collection process can be accelerated, as well as delivered with increased accuracy.

• The OMNICOLL has highly flexible control.
• Easy to program and handle.
• Unlimited number of fraction collection.
• Fraction collection or liquid sampling based on volume / time / drop count / controlled by an external signal to obtain important samples during long processes running even during the absence of a supervisor.
• The collection of samples are possible with a time interval between consecutive fractions varying between 0.1 min and 16.6 hours (999.9 min) or 1 min and 166 hours (9999 min).

More information about the LAMBDA peristaltic pumps and automatic OMNICOLL fraction collector, you will find on: fermenters.eu/peristaltic-pumps/ www.lambda-instruments.com/fraction-collector/

Please, contact us at sales@lambda-instruments.com if you have questions, need quotation or prices.