Chitosan-PEO nanofiber mats for copper removal in aqueous solution using a new versatile electrospinning collector

• DOI: 10.1007/s42452-020-03342-5
• Publication Date: 2020-08-20T10:04:00Z
• Authors: Ilse Ileana Carde...; Éric Loranger; Bruno Chabot
• Keywords: chitosan electrospun nanofibers; sorbent reusability; adsorption performance; Langmuir isotherm; 02 engineering and technology; electrospinning collector; pseudo-second-order kinetic models; nanofibers; polyethylene oxides; Its efficiencies; copper ions adsorption; metal ions; sorption equilibria; water treatment; adsorption capacities; 540; desorption potentials; 6. Clean water; adsorption; copper; desorption; reusability; thermodynamic parameter; isotherms; chitosan; 0210 nano-technology; water purification

Electrospun chitosan–polyethylene oxide nanofiber mats were fabricated using a new collector design. Besides being reusable, it allows to assess the desired morphology of the mat in a quicker way. To test its efficiency, nonwoven mats designed for water treatment applications were prepared using conditions never been reported before. Under these conditions, continuous and flawless nanofibers of 151 ± 36 nm in diameter were achieved. Adsorption capacity of the mats for copper ions in aqueous solutions were investigated. Results showed that sorption equilibrium was achieved within 150 min with a homogenous distribution of copper ions within the nanofibrous mats. The pseudo-second order kinetic model best fitted the experimental data. The Langmuir isotherm best described the sorption process with a maximum adsorption capacity of 124 mg/g for trial temperatures ranging from 25 to 60 °C. Thermodynamic parameters (ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS°) demonstrate that the adsorption was feasible, endothermic and spontaneous. The desorption potential and mat’s reusability were also studied. Results reveal that the electrospun chitosan mats can be desorbed and reused up to 5 cycles without significant loss in adsorption performance.