Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions

Pollution by heavy metals such as lead is a major concern, since exposure to these metals can lead to various adverse health effects. In this work, nanofibers composed of CuO (CuONFs) were developed as a novel and promising material for Pb(II) adsorption. There have been no previous reports concerni...

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Main Authors: Amábile Giotto dos Santos, Thiago Rodrigues Martins, Satheesh Krishnamurthy, Daniel Assumpção Bertuol, Eduardo Hiromitsu Tanabe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Metals
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/1/56
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author Amábile Giotto dos Santos
Thiago Rodrigues Martins
Satheesh Krishnamurthy
Daniel Assumpção Bertuol
Eduardo Hiromitsu Tanabe
author_facet Amábile Giotto dos Santos
Thiago Rodrigues Martins
Satheesh Krishnamurthy
Daniel Assumpção Bertuol
Eduardo Hiromitsu Tanabe
author_sort Amábile Giotto dos Santos
collection DOAJ
description Pollution by heavy metals such as lead is a major concern, since exposure to these metals can lead to various adverse health effects. In this work, nanofibers composed of CuO (CuONFs) were developed as a novel and promising material for Pb(II) adsorption. There have been no previous reports concerning the production of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers modified with copper sulfate pentahydrate, followed by calcination, to be utilized as a Pb(II) adsorbent. The nanofibers were obtained using the centrifugal spinning method and then were characterized before and after a calcination step using analytical techniques. Adsorption parameters were investigated, including pH, contact time, adsorbate concentration, and temperature. Satisfactory Pb (II) adsorption was reached at 298 K, pH 5.8, and a maximum adsorption of 151.34 mg g<sup>−1</sup> was achieved, predicted by the Hill model. The kinetic data proved that Pb (II) adsorption better fitted the pseudo-second-order model, while the Hill model was confirmed to best fit the equilibrium data. Thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the lead adsorption was favorable, spontaneous, and exothermic. The CuONFs maintained 97.51% of their initial adsorption capacity after two adsorption/desorption cycles. The results showed that CuONFs have excellent potential as an adsorbent for Pb(II), while also showing high stability during reuse.
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institution Kabale University
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spelling doaj-art-530ea06bc8b147858cf9dfc1240adc082025-01-24T13:41:32ZengMDPI AGMetals2075-47012025-01-011515610.3390/met15010056Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous SolutionsAmábile Giotto dos Santos0Thiago Rodrigues Martins1Satheesh Krishnamurthy2Daniel Assumpção Bertuol3Eduardo Hiromitsu Tanabe4Environmental Processes Laboratory (LAPAM), Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Maria—UFSM, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, BrazilEnvironmental Processes Laboratory (LAPAM), Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Maria—UFSM, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, BrazilSurrey Ion Beam Centre, Advanced Technology Institute, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, UKEnvironmental Processes Laboratory (LAPAM), Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Maria—UFSM, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, BrazilEnvironmental Processes Laboratory (LAPAM), Chemical Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Maria—UFSM, Santa Maria 97105-900, RS, BrazilPollution by heavy metals such as lead is a major concern, since exposure to these metals can lead to various adverse health effects. In this work, nanofibers composed of CuO (CuONFs) were developed as a novel and promising material for Pb(II) adsorption. There have been no previous reports concerning the production of polyacrylonitrile nanofibers modified with copper sulfate pentahydrate, followed by calcination, to be utilized as a Pb(II) adsorbent. The nanofibers were obtained using the centrifugal spinning method and then were characterized before and after a calcination step using analytical techniques. Adsorption parameters were investigated, including pH, contact time, adsorbate concentration, and temperature. Satisfactory Pb (II) adsorption was reached at 298 K, pH 5.8, and a maximum adsorption of 151.34 mg g<sup>−1</sup> was achieved, predicted by the Hill model. The kinetic data proved that Pb (II) adsorption better fitted the pseudo-second-order model, while the Hill model was confirmed to best fit the equilibrium data. Thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the lead adsorption was favorable, spontaneous, and exothermic. The CuONFs maintained 97.51% of their initial adsorption capacity after two adsorption/desorption cycles. The results showed that CuONFs have excellent potential as an adsorbent for Pb(II), while also showing high stability during reuse.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/1/56polyacrylonitrilecopper sulfatenanofibersadsorptionleadmetal removal
spellingShingle Amábile Giotto dos Santos
Thiago Rodrigues Martins
Satheesh Krishnamurthy
Daniel Assumpção Bertuol
Eduardo Hiromitsu Tanabe
Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions
Metals
polyacrylonitrile
copper sulfate
nanofibers
adsorption
lead
metal removal
title Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions
title_full Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions
title_fullStr Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions
title_full_unstemmed Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions
title_short Production of Nanofibers Composed of CuO for the Removal of Pb(II) from Aqueous Solutions
title_sort production of nanofibers composed of cuo for the removal of pb ii from aqueous solutions
topic polyacrylonitrile
copper sulfate
nanofibers
adsorption
lead
metal removal
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/15/1/56
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