RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Development and characterization of biopolymer-hydroxyapatite composites for efficient lead removal A1 Espínola Colmán, María Magdalena A1 Medina Resquín, Lucas Santiago A1 Casanova Ozuna, Pablo Javier A1 Martínez Pavetti, María Belén A1 Monteiro Schaerer, Magna María A2 Universidad Nacional de Asunción. Facultad Politécnica AB Heavy metals in wastewater require special attention due to their toxic effects on humans. The removal of these metals can be costly and challenging. Biosorption is an alternative removal method using biological materials with metal-sequestering properties. This study investigates the biosorption process using sodium alginate (SA), biological agar (BA), and hydroxyapatite (Hap) in two different shapes: beads and noodles. The Hap/SA/BA solution was added into a CaCl2 solution, forming a Hap/SA/BA composite through coagulation. The adsorbents were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) coupled with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Atomic absorption analysis was performed to determine the residual lead concentrations. The results indicated that the adsorption process for all samples fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The maximum sorption capacity of the sample was 98.5 mg of Pb2+/g. Noodle-shaped samples exhibited faster adsorption kinetics than bead-shaped ones; however, the final amount of Pb2+ removed was nearly identical across all samples. This study provides valuable evidence for the ongoing development of different shapes of ceramic/polymer composites for environmental applications. PB Elsevier YR 2025 FD 2025-05-19 LK http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14066/4612 UL http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14066/4612 LA eng NO Espinola Colmán, M. M., Medina, L., Casanova, P., Martinez P, M. B., & Monteiro, M. (2025). Development and characterization of biopolymer-hydroxyapatite composites for efficient lead removal. Results in Surfaces and Interfaces, 20, Article 100558.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsurfi.2025.100558 NO Corresponding author. E-mail address: magdaespinola@pol.una.py (M.M. Espínola Colmán). NO Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología DS MINDS@UW RD 04-sep-2026