Synthesis of poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan/titanium oxide beads

The application of photocatalytic beads in wastewater treatment application has gained attention of many researchers. In this study, the synthesised poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan/Titanium oxide (PVA/CS/TiO2) beads has been considered as a promising alternative to conventional means of wastewater treatment. The present study has successfully synthesised PVA/CS/TiO2 beads through simple dropwise method in which varied concentration of CS from 1.0 g to 2.5 g. Morphological analysis of the synthesised PVA/CS/TiO2 beads investigated by the FE-SEM technique revealed that porous beads were obtained regardless of the varied CS concentration content. Furthermore, solubility and swelling properties investigation of the beads were also performed within the prescribed time of 24h in three different medium which were acidic, distilled water and alkaline solution. Result of solubility test proved that PVA/CS/TiO2 beads were insoluble only in distilled water and alkaline solution. However, the beads were found to dissolve in acidic solution due to the CS content. Meanwhile, the swelling test revealed that increased concentration of CS leads to swelling of beads in distilled water and alkaline solution. Results revealed that beads with the highest CS composition which is 2.5 g recorded 82.6% and 118.4% of swelling in distilled water and alkaline solution, respectively. In the mean time, beads with the lowest CS composition which is 1.0 g only swell for 65.8% and 93.3% in distilled water and alkaline solution, respectively. As a conclusion, the synthesised beads in this study is feasible to be applied in natural to alkaline environment