Effective Methylene Blue Removal from Aqueous Solutions using PVA/Chitosan Electrospun Nanofiber Modified with CeAlO۳ Nanoparticles

This research work aims to investigate the sorption characteristic of synthesized Poly (vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan nanofiber mats modified with aluminum-cerium spinel oxide (CeAlO۳) nanoparticles for methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solutions. The sorption is carried out by a batch technique. The structural characterization of this nanocomposite was performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed uniform net and improved nanofibers with diameters ranging about ۴۲۰ and ۴۵۰ nm, respectively. The optimum conditions of MB removal onto modified PVA/CS nanofibers were found to be: pH ۱۰, contact time ۴۵ min, and ۰.۰۱ g of adsorbent in ۴۰۰ ml in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the experimental adsorption data were in excellent agreement with the pseudo-second-order kinetics. The experimental results showed that there is a good correlation between the obtained data and the adsorption isotherm in the concentration range studied (۴۰۰-۶۰۰ mg/l). The results revealed that the maximum adsorption capacity of MB was ۸۱۷.۸۱ and ۷۱۴.۶۱ mg/g onto improved and net nanofibers, respectively. 

Keywords:

Batch processing , Methylene blue , CeAlO۳ , Isotherms , Kinetics