Adsorption of endocrine disrupting compounds from aqueous solution in poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) electrospun microfibers

Abstract

Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC) have the potential to seriously impact ecosystems and humans. To date, numerous techniques have been investigated for removing such contaminants from water, including biodegradation, photocatalysis, ozonation, and the Fenton process. However, these methods are expensive from the perspectives of equipment and operating costs. Herein, we investigated the use of electrospun poly(butyleneadipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) fibers as an adsorbent material for the removal of EDC for the first time. The morphological characteristics of the electrospun microfibers were assessed by scanning electron microcopy, atomic force microscopy, specific surface area analysis, and dynamic mechanical analysis. In addition, their physicochemical characteristics were evaluated using thermal gravimetry, attenuated total reflection–Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and hydrophobicity testing. Adsorption experiments were carried out using various concentrations of estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2). The adsorption kinetics and isotherms revealed that the maximum adsorption capacities of PBAT microfibers towards the three contaminants follow the order: EE2 (2.23 mg g−1) > E1 (1.41 mg g-1) > E2 (0.796 mg g−1). We assume that hydrophobic and π–π interactions play important roles in the adsorption mechanism. In addition, we demonstrated that PBAT microfibers are potentially very reusable and can be recycled at least five times without the loss of adsorption capacity. We conclude that electrospun PBAT microfibers exhibit excellent properties and have the potential to be used as an adsorbent material for the removal of EDC from aqueous solutions.