Removal of Th(IV), Ni(II)and Fe(II) from aqueous solutions by a novel PAN–TiO2 nanofiber adsorbent modified with aminopropyltriethoxysilane

Abstract

A novel polyacrylonitrile (PAN)–titanium oxide (TiO2) nanofiber adsorbent functionalized with aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) was fabricated by electrospinning. The adsorbent was characterized by SEM, FTIR, TEG and BET analyses. The pore diameter and surface area of the adsorbent were 3.1 nm and 10.8 m2 g−1, respectively. The effects of several variables, such as TiO2 and amine contents, pH, interaction time, initial concentration of metal ions, ionic strength and temperature, were studied in batch experiments. The kinetic data were analyzed by pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and double-exponential models. Two isotherm models, namely Freundlich and Langmuir, were used for analysis of equilibrium data. The maximum adsorption capacities of Th(IV), Ni(II) and Fe(II) by Langmuir isotherm were found to be 250, 147 and 80 mg g−1 at 45 °C with pH of 5, 6 and 5, respectively, and greater adsorption of Th(IV) could be justified with the concept of covalent index and free energy of hydration. Calculation of ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS° demonstrated that the nature of the Th(IV), Ni(II) and Fe(II) metal ions adsorption onto the PAN–TiO2–APTES nanofiber was endothermic and favorable at a higher temperature. The negative values of ΔG° for Th(IV) showed that the adsorption process was spontaneous, but these values for Ni(II)and Fe(II) were positive and so the adsorption process was unspontaneous. Increasing of ionic strength improved the adsorption of Ni(II) and Fe(II) on nanofiber adsorbent but decreased the adsorption capacity of Th(IV). The adsorption capacity was reduced slightly after six cycles of adsorption–desorption, so the nanofiber adsorbent could be used on an industrial scale. The inhibitory effect of Ni(II) and Fe(II) on the adsorption of Th(IV) was increased with an increase in the concentration of inhibitor metal ions.