Efficient Removal of Lead and Copper from Aqueous Solutions by Using Modified Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Membranes

Abstract

The performance of the prepared polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membrane by electrospinning process for the removal of lead and copper ions from aqueous solutions was investigated. The optimum electrospinning conditions were obtained to be 14 wt% concentration, 20 kV voltages, 120 mm tips to collector distance and 0.8 ml h−1 flow rate. Chemical functionalities were grafted by a two steps grafting process which involves hydrolysis and chemical modification with ethyleneglycol (EG), ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DTA). The prepared nanofibers were characterized by Attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), UV-Visible Spectrophotometer and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS or EDX) analysis. The adsorption capacity of Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions on modified PAN nanofiber mats were evaluated by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Adsorption isotherms were used to find the model of the adsorption behavior and to calculate the removal percentage. The results show that modified nanofibers with ethylenediamine have the maximum adsorption capacity about of 22.954 mmol/gr and 12.367 mmol/gr for Cu2+ and Pb2+ ions, respectively. Therefore, these modified nanofibers open up delighted opportunities for the efficient removal of Pb2+ and Cu2+ from aqueous solutions.