Nanofibrous membrane of polyacrylonitrile with efficient adsorption capacity for cadmium ions from aqueous solution: Isotherm and kinetic studies

The nanofibrous membrane of polyacrylonitrile (NMP) was successfully synthesized after NaOH and NaHCO₃ treatment aiming its functionalization using electrospinning for cadmium ion (Cd²⁺) adsorption. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed that small particles attached to the surface of functionalized PAN nanofibers. Equilibrium was attained after 60 min following a rapid uptake of Cd²⁺ with maximum adsorption capacity and percentage removal at an optimum solution pH of 7.0. The adsorbent dose of 0.3 g and 90 mg L⁻¹ of initial Cd²⁺ concentration yielded the maximum adsorption capacity. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model was the best fitted to the adsorption data, indicating that the chemisorption is the controlling mechanism of adsorption. The physisorption was proposed based on the calculated values of the mean free energy of adsorption from the D–R isotherm (E < 8 kJ mol⁻¹). Furthermore, three-parameter isotherm models indicated the homogeneous and heterogeneous Cd²⁺ adsorption onto NMP adsorbent.