Removal of lead from aqueous solution using polyacrylonitrile/magnetite nanofibers

Abstract

Lead is known for its toxic and non-biodegradable behavior. The consumption of lead-contaminated water is one of the major threat the world is facing nowadays. In this study, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and magnetite (FeO) composite nanofiber adsorbent was developed for Pb removal in batch mode. The synthesis was done by a simple and scalable process of electrospinning followed by chemical precipitation of FeO. The nanofibers thus obtained were characterized through FTIR, zeta potential analyzer, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) and were analyzed for their adsorption capability for Pb ions. The amount of metal ion adsorbed was influenced by the initial metal ion concentration, the time the adsorbent was in contact, the amount of nanofiber, and the pH of the solution. The experimental data fitted well with pseudo 2nd-order and Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The nanofibers showed high adsorption capability and could be recommended for Pb removal successfully.

Enhancement of heavy metal ion adsorption using electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofibers loaded with ZnO nanoparticles

“…The increase in the adsorption capacity from low to high pH, clearly for Cd(II), could be linked to the protonation of the hydroxyl group on the surface of the nanofibers. The high protonation at low pH can hinder the adsorption due to the electrostatic repulsion between the heavy metal ions and the positively charged surface sites . Increasing the pH of the solution leads to an increase in the negatively charged surface sites due to de‐protonation which facilitate the adsorption of the heavy metal cations .…”

“…The high protonation at low pH can hinder the adsorption due to the electrostatic repulsion between the heavy metal ions and the positively charged surface sites. [39][40][41] Increasing the pH of the solution leads to an increase in the negatively charged surface sites due to de-protonation which facilitate the adsorption of the heavy metal cations. 41,42 This was observed in Figure 6 at around pH 5-7 for the adsorption of Pb(II) and Cd(II).…”

Electrospun Bilayer PAN/Chitosan Nanofiber Membranes Incorporated with Metal Oxide Nanoparticles for Heavy Metal Ion Adsorption

“…5 pH was chosen for the removal of lead ions since maximum adsorption occurs at this pH level. At low pH values, the surface hydroxyl group protonation could result in repulsive electrostatic interaction between the lead and cadmium ions and the positively charged surface sites, resulting in unfavorable adsorption [37,38]. The deprotonation that occurs with increasing the pH value leads to an enhancement in the attachment of toxic metal ions onto the surface [39,40].…”

Graphene Composites for Lead Ions Removal from Aqueous Solutions

“…[ [92][93][94][95] Carbon (carbon nanotubes (CNTs), fullerenes, graphene, and graphene derivatives) based adsorbent materials are being used for the effective removal of the heavy metal ions because of their extraordinary high surface area to volume ratio and light weight as compared to other materials [66,96,97]. Currently, adsorbents based on the carbon nanotubes [98,99], activated carbon [100][101][102][103][104][105], graphene/ graphene oxide (GO) [60,67,[106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116][117], graphene magnetite's [118][119][120][121][122][123] polymeric adsorbents [124][125][126][127][128][129][130][131][132] and other type of adsorbents [133][134]…”