Effective treatment of industrial waste water containing heavy metals required efficient metal adsorbent. Polymeric substrates anchored with suitable adsorbent are known to have performed better. This study uses the method of electrospinning to produce polymeric nanofibers with nanoscale structures having high loading capacity for the adsorption of heavy metals contaminants from the industrial waste water. Poly(vinylbenzoylchloride) homopolymers prepared by bulk polymerization were subsequently electrospun into fibers and functionalised with 2,2 -pyridylimidazole. The polymer materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microanalysis, infrared (IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The sorption capacities of the sorbent was first assessed in both batch and column studies on an aqueous salt solution containing lead, cadmium, chromium, zinc, nickel, cobalt, copper and iron ions prior to its application on polluted industrial effluent and were found to performed very efficiently.

Fabrication of polymeric nanofiber and its application for the removal of heavy metals from industrial waste water

2019 Fall National Meeting

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