A large amount of wastewater is typically discharged into water bodies and has extremely harmful effects to aquatic environments. The removal of heavy metals from water bodies is necessary for the safe consumption of water and human activities. The demand for seafood has considerably increased, and millions of tons of crustacean waste are discarded every year. These waste products are rich in a natural biopolymer known as chitin. The deacetylated form of chitin, chitosan, has attracted attention as an adsorbent. It is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer that can be modified and converted to various derivatives. This review paper focuses on relevant literature on strategies for chemically modifying the biopolymer and its use in the removal of heavy metals from water and wastewater. The different aspects of chitosan-based derivatives and their preparation and application are elucidated. A list of chitosan-based composites, along with their adsorptivity and experimental conditions, are compiled.

通常，大量废水被排放到水体中，并对水生环境产生极其有害的影响。为了安全地用水和人类活动，必须从水体中去除重金属。对海鲜的需求已大大增加，每年丢弃数百万吨甲壳类废物。这些废品富含称为甲壳质的天然生物聚合物。几丁质壳聚糖的脱乙酰化形式作为吸附剂已引起关注。它是一种生物相容性和可生物降解的聚合物，可以被修饰并转化为各种衍生物。这篇综述文章集中于有关化学修饰生物聚合物的策略及其在从水和废水中去除重金属的应用方面的相关文献。阐明了壳聚糖基衍生物的不同方面及其制备和应用。汇编了壳聚糖基复合材料的列表，以及它们的吸附性和实验条件。