Abstract
Hydroxyapatite-silica fibers were prepared by sol-gel process and electrospinning, and their capacity for adsorption of cadmium and lead ions in aqueous solution was studied. The samples were characterized by SEM, FTIR, TGA, DSC, BET, and XRD. The composite consists on a network of continuous rough fibers with mean diameter of 150 ± 40 nm after thermal treatment. The fibers present a mesoporous structure with pore size of 15.75 nm. Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction demonstrated the presence of crystalline hydroxyapatite and amorphous silica. Adsorption process is represented by Freundlich isotherm, while the adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo-second-order model. The capacity shown by the fibrous material for the removal of lead ions (466.98 mg/g) was five times higher than the capacity observed for the adsorption of cadmium (93.30 mg/g). Therefore, the hydroxyapatite-silica electrospun fibers represent a suitable material for the efficient removal of lead and cadmium ions from aqueous solution.
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