Chapter 16 - Functionalized nanofibers for adsorption of heavy metal ions

Abstract

Industries not only consume 22% of the global water resource but also many of them contribute to water resources contamination by heavy metals. Heavy metal contamination poses one of the most critical environmental issues facing the world owing to their high toxicity, bioaccumulation throughout the food chain, and nonbiodegradability. The existence of heavy metals in water resources can seriously degrade the water quality and put the world's sustainability at risk. Hence, several technologies were applied for removing or, at least, decreasing the concentrations of heavy metals in water resources. Compared to other treatment techniques, adsorption is a promising one as it is a sustainable process with low capital costs, low operating conditions, and good reversibility. On the other hand, the rapidly developed nanoparticulate systems were applied for heavy metals adsorption and the findings demonstrated their effectiveness owing to their high surface area, high porosity, and surface modification possibilities. Nanofibers are nanomaterials that have a large surface-to-volume ratio, high porosity, and good water stability. This chapter provides background information about heavy metals sources, impacts, and treatment technologies with more details on the adsorption process. In addition, the application of different functionalized nanofibers as adsorbents for heavy metals in aqueous solutions will be discussed.