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The efficient removal of methylene blue from water samples using three-dimensional poly (vinyl alcohol)/starch nanofiber membrane as a green nanosorbent

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Abstract

In the present study, a simple, fast, and economical method was introduced to eliminate methylene blue from dye wastewater water using a non-toxic, inexpensive, stable, and efficient adsorbent. The poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/starch hydrogel nanofiber membrane with high surface area and the three-dimensional structure was fabricated in water via electrospinning strategy, and the cross-linking reaction was done by thermal treatment. The characterization of the nanofibers was carried out using Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and the cross-linked PVA/starch nanofiber was applied as a membrane for the removal of methylene blue (MB). The recovery of MB was performed by methanol solution containing 5% (v/v) HCl. Langmuir isotherm model successfully described the adsorption of MB on nanosorbent, and the maximum adsorption capacity (qm) was 400 mg g−1. Also, the kinetic of adsorption was well fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. In this study, because of the high stability of fabricated membrane (based on the tensile testing), it can be used as a filter for the fast separation of MB (cationic dye) and methyl orange (MO, anionic dye).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Chemistry and Petroleum Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, 1983969411, Iran

    Ebrahim Moradi, Homeira Ebrahimzadeh, Zahra Mehrani & Ali Akbar Asgharinezhad

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  1. Ebrahim Moradi
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  2. Homeira Ebrahimzadeh
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  3. Zahra Mehrani
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  4. Ali Akbar Asgharinezhad
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Correspondence to Homeira Ebrahimzadeh.

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Highlights

• Poly (vinyl alcohol)/starch nanofiber membrane was fabricated via one-step electrospinning strategy.

• The hydrogel nanofiber with 3D structure showed high adsorption capacity for cation dyes.

• The nanofiber was suggested as an environmentally friendly, reusable, and highly efficient nanosorbent.

• The stable nanofiber membrane was applied as a filter for the fast separation of methylene blue and methyl orange.

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Moradi, E., Ebrahimzadeh, H., Mehrani, Z. et al. The efficient removal of methylene blue from water samples using three-dimensional poly (vinyl alcohol)/starch nanofiber membrane as a green nanosorbent. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26, 35071–35081 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-06400-7

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