Selective adsorption of cadmium ions by nanofibers membrane from aqueous solution

Abstract

The removal of toxic heavy metals with nano fibers from the surface and ground water has gained enormous interest in the recent years to improve the quality of water. From these toxic metals, cadmium (Cd) is the most worrisome as it persists in the environment and cannot be broken down into less toxic substances. It has been discharged as a waste from various industrial operations, that is, metal plating, alloying and mining. Cd pollution is particularly concerning in the developing world in that the cadmium waste is not collected separately from general waste, and often ends up in landfills. In our study, Zein nano fibers were prepared via electro spinning technique and then used as an adsorbent material for the Cd ions removal. The electrospun nanofibers were characterized by atomic adsorption spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR and SEM measurements. Different parameters were used in the adsorption processes such as pH, contact time, mass of sheet and cadmium concentration to achieve maximum removal efficiency of ca...