PEI/GO-codecorated poly(acrylic acid-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) fiber as a carrier to support iron ions and its catalytic performance for methylene blue decolorization

Dyes wastewater has caused some severe environmental problems; thus, it is necessary to develop new materials that can stably and efficiently purify dyes wastewater. In this work, polyethyleneimine and graphene oxide were selected as a salt-forming agent and an inorganic filler to tune the structure of poly(acrylic acid-co-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) fiber to what a good carrier really needs, and the well-structured fiber was then transformed into a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst by immobilizing iron ions onto its rough surface and porous body through coordination. This special structure could considerably help raise iron ions loading ratio and ferrous ions content and reduce iron ions leaching-out. The obtained fibrous catalyst has excellent reusability in catalytically decolorizing methylene blue (MB) solution. More than 94% of MB was decolorized within 7 min after eight cycles, and the total organic carbon of MB solution decreased from the original 10.9 to 8.7 mg·L−1. The decomposition of MB into smaller organic substances happened and caused the decolorization. When compared with other catalysts, the fiber prepared here could be repeatedly used to decolorize more MB within a shorter time in the presence of less H2O2.