The Use of Chitosan For Removing Selected Pollutants From Water And Wastewater – Short Review

Chitosan is a natural product derived from chitin, which is mostly found in exo-skeletons of shrimp, crab and lobster shells. This paper presents a short review of the literature regarding the use of chitosan and its modifications for removing selected pollutants from water and wastewater. In particular, the examples of removal of metal ions, dyes, anions and phenols were described. Furthermore, the possibility of the use of chitosan as a coagulant and flocculant in water and wastewater technologies are also shown. Based on the literature review described in this article it can be concluded that chitosan and especially its modifications is a very promising sorbent for removing a broad spectrum of pollutants from aqueous solutions. It also presents directions for further research in order to obtain a better knowledge of the practical applications of chitosan.