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Nanofibers of resorcinol–formaldehyde for effective adsorption of As (III) ions from mimicked effluents

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Abstract

In the present study, the core–shell structured RF/PVA nanofibers have been developed and used for the adsorption of As3+ ions from the mimicked liquid effluents. Efficient-facile fabrication of the structured nanofibers (300–417 nm diameter) was accomplished using facile electrospinning technique. Chi parameter (χ = 25.56) and free energy of mixing (Emix = 17.19 kcal/mol) calculated via molecular dynamics simulations depicted compatibility of the polymeric system resulting supermolecular core–shell nanofibers, whose adsorption results were also supported by the FE-SEM, FT-IR, and UV-VIS spectroscopy analysis. The adsorption analysis was performed using both linear and non-linear regression methods, for kinetic models and adsorption isotherms. The developed nanofibers demonstrated an adsorption capacity of 11.09 mg/g at a pH of 7, and an adsorption efficiency of 97.46% on protracted exposure, which is even adaptable at high temperatures with 93.1% reclamation. FE-SEM analysis and FT-IR spectra confirm the adsorption of As (III) ions on RF/PVA nanofibers and the presence of embedded hydrophilic oxygen sites for metal ion adsorption. The developed RF/PVA nanofibers demonstrate scalability in fabrication, low-cost, recycling, and less solid waste generation, depicting the large-scale applicability in removing arsenic ions from effluent waste.

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Abbreviations

a R :

Redlich–Peterson isotherm constant (L/mg)

a s :

Sips isotherm model constant (L/mg)

a T :

Toth isotherm constant (L/mg)

A T :

Temkin binding constant at equilibrium (L/g)

B :

Constant related to sorption heat (J/mol)

C e :

Equilibrium metal ion concentration (mg/L)

C o :

Initial metal ion concentration (mg/L)

E mix :

Mixing energy

g :

Redlich–Peterson isotherm exponent

k 1 :

Pseudo-first-order adsorption rate constant (min−1)

k 2 :

Pseudo-second-order rate constant (g/mg min)

K ad :

Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm constant (mol2/kJ2)

K d :

Distribution coefficient

K D :

Hill isotherm constant

K F :

Freundlich isotherm constant (L/g)

K FH :

Flory–Huggins isotherm constant

K H :

Hasley isotherm constant

K int :

Intra-particle diffusion rate constant (mg/g min1/2)

K L :

Langmuir isotherm constant (L/mg)

K R :

Redlich–Peterson isotherm constant (L/g)

K s :

Sips isotherm constant (L/g)

K T :

Toth isotherm constant (mg/g)

M :

RF/PVA nanofibers weight (g)

n :

Adsorption intensity (\( \frac{1}{n} \) is called the heterogeneity parameter)

N A :

Number of repeat units of RF

N B :

Number of repeat units of PVA

q e :

Adsorption capacity (mg/g)

q max :

Maximum monolayer coverage capacity (mg/g)

q s :

Theoretical isotherm saturation capacity (mg/g)

q t :

Amount of adsorbed metal ions on the adsorbent at time (mg/g)

R :

Universal gas constant (8.314 J/mol K)

R 2 :

Coefficient of determination

t :

Time (min)

T :

Temperature (K)

V :

Volume (L)

ΔG 0 :

Gibbs free energy change (J/mol)

ΔH 0 :

Enthalpy (J/mol)

ΔS 0 :

Entropy (J/mol K)

ε :

Dubinin–Radushkevich isotherm constant

Θ :

Degree of surface coverage

χ :

Chi parameter

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Dr. Surendra Pal, Vice Chancellor, DIAT (DU), for the encouragement and support. The authors are thankful to Mr. Dhananjay Gunjal and Mr. Ram Dayal for their technical help and valuable support during the characterization of samples. The authors are also thankful to Deakin University, Australia, for providing access to the Accelrys Materials Studio software for simulation studies.

Funding

The research work was supported and financed by the DRDO-DIAT Programme on Nanomaterials (EPIPR/1003883/M/01/908/2012/D (R&D))/1416 dated: 28.03.2012, DRDO HQ, Ministry of Defence, New Delhi, India.

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Correspondence to Balasubramanian Kandasubramanian.

Additional information

Responsible editor: Guilherme L. Dotto

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Gore, P., Khraisheh, M. & Kandasubramanian, B. Nanofibers of resorcinol–formaldehyde for effective adsorption of As (III) ions from mimicked effluents. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 11729–11745 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1304-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1304-z

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