Adsorption of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution by an electrospun CeO2 nanofiber adsorbent functionalized with mercapto groups

• Published in: Process safety and environmental protection 2015-03, Vol.94, p.159-171
• Main Authors: Yari, Saeed, Abbasizadeh, Saeed, Mousavi, Seyyed Ebrahim, Moghaddam, Mojtaba Saei, Moghaddam, Abdolsamad Zarringhalam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Copper(II); Electrospinning; Kinetic models; Lead(II); PVP/CeO2/TMPTMS/Pluronic123 nanofiber
• ISSN: 0957-5820; 1744-3598
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2015.01.011

•The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by SEM, BJH and BET analyses.•We observed that sorption process was favored at higher temperature.•qm of PVA/CeO2/P123 was approximately 3 times greater than PVA/CeO2 nanofiber.•The Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions can easily be desorbed using 0.1M HNO3 solution.•The selectivity of metal ion adsorption was in order of Cu(II)>Pb(II). A novel PVP/CeO2/TMPTMS nanofiber adsorbent was prepared by the electrospinning method. The prepared nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer–Emmert–Teller (BET), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Brrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) analysis. The results showed that surface area of PVP/CeO2/TMPTMS/P123 is almost five times greater than PVP/CeO2/TMPTMS nanofiber adsorbent. Batch experiments were carried out as a function of solution pH, contact time, initial concentration and temperature. The kinetic data of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions were well described by the double-exponential model. The maximum adsorption capacities of PVP/CeO2/TMPTMS nanofiber by applying the Langmuir equation were found to be 0.439mmol/g (90.9mg/g) for Pb(II) and 1.390mmol/g (88.3mg/g) for Cu(II) ions. qm of PVP/CeO2/TMPTMS/P123 nanofiber was found to be 1.315mmol/g (272.3mg/g) for Pb(II) and 4.145mmol/g (263.4mg/g) for Cu(II) ions. Thermodynamic studies showed that adsorption process was favored at higher temperature. The adsorbent can be easily regenerated with desorbing agent of 0.1M HNO3. The inhibitory effect of competitive Cu(II) ion on the Pb(II) adsorption was greater than the inhibitory effect of competitive Pb(II) ion on the Cu(II) adsorption in the binary systems and the adsorption affinity of the tested metals is Cu(II)>Pb(II).