Published September 1, 2022
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Chitosan-based electrospun nanofibers mat for the removal of acidic drugs from influent and effluent

Creators

  • 1. Department of Chemistry, Science Campus, University of South Africa, Florida, South Africa
  • 2. UNESCO-UNISA Africa Chair in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (U2ACN2), College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
  • 3. Nanosciences African Network (NANOAFNET), iThembaLABS-National Research Foundation, Somerset West, South Africa
  • 4. Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability (iNanoWS), Science Campus, University of South Africa, Corner Christiaan De Wet Road and Pioneer Avenue, Florida, South Africa

Description

In this study, electrospinning was used to synthesize the nanofibers from a blend of chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to remove acidic drugs from wastewater. Fibers with uniform morphology were obtained at voltage of 20 kV, flow rate of 0.2 mL/h, and collection distance of 10 cm. The chemical and physical properties of the produced nanofibers were investigated utilizing a variety of equipment, including SEM, FTIR, XRD, and TGA-DSC. The nanofibers contain active hydroxyl and amino functional groups with an average diameter of 380 nm, according to the characterization results of FTIR and SEM. From the XRD and TGA-DSC analysis, the nanofibers were found to be amorphous and thermally stable at 200 °C. A thermal treatment to the nanofibers was done to reduce the water solubility of the fibers prior to their application for the adsorption of acidic drugs from water systems. Using the ultra-pure water, maximum removal capacities (qm) were calculated from Langmuir isotherm and were found to be 27.85, 1666.66, 166.6, and 1250 mg/g for acetyl salicylic acid, naproxen, fenoprofen, and diclofenac, respectively.
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