Adsorption properties of the double-imprinted electrospun crosslinked chitosan nanofibers

The adsorption properties of the Pb(II)-Cd(II) double-imprinted electrospun crosslinked chitosan nanofibers (Pd/Cd-DIECCNs) prepared by electropspinning and imprinting process for the removal of Pb(II) and Cd(II) from aqueous solutions were investigated. The prepared nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis. Under the optimum experimental conditions, the minimum fiber average diameter was obtained 110 nm. Then the adsorption experiments were carried out to study the effect of different adsorption parameters, such as pH, the ratio between Pb(II) and Cd(II) in the mixed solutions, contact time, the Pd/Cd-DIECCNs dose and temperature in a batch system. The Extended Langmuir model was applied to describe the equilibrium data of Pb(II) and Cd(II). The maximum adsorption capacities of the Pd/Cd-DIECCNs arrived at 567 mg/g for Pb(II) and 341 mg/g for Cd(II), respectively.