Fabrication of Novel Hemp Charcoal Nanofiber Membrane for Effectual Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions from Wastewater

Abstract

Water pollution is increasing with rapidly growing industries and world population, which is very harmful for marine life and humans as well. This research has been conducted to introduce novel material with advanced techniques for the effective removal of heavy metals from wastewater. Successful nanofiber membranes have been developed with hemp charcoal (HC) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN), which can remove heavy metals from water efficiently in less time. The nanofiber membranes showed good adsorption capacity for heavy metal ions along with good thermal and mechanical stability. Electrospun nanofibers of HC and PAN were assessed for adsorption capacity by soaking them in metallic suspensions of known concentration for a specific period of time. Nickle, cobalt, and copper metals were selected to assess the adsorption capacity of nanofibrous webs. It was observed that HC played a vital role in removing metal ions from wastewater with an excellent efficiency. The adsorption capacity for nickel, cobalt, and copper was 54 mg/g, 87 mg/g, and 96 mg/g, respectively.