Adsorption study of Pb(II) in aqueous medium using polyaniline nanocomposites

Abstract

This research work presents a simple and effective way for preparation of polyaniline (PANI) nanofiber composites mixed with polyvinyl alcohol or polystyrene (PS) and their application for lead (Pb) removal from an aqueous medium. Interestingly, PANI/PS porous nanofibers show excellent performance as a one-step Pb removal technique from aqueous solutions. The efficiency of Pb removal is found to be more than 95%, which is pretty higher than the previously reported values of other nanocomposites, as Pb removal adsorbents. Furthermore, when pure PANI nanofibers cannot remove Pb in an efficient way, this is a straightforward method for separation from the solution. This is attributable to the high surface area of PANI-PS composites. This study also provides a simple and effective way for the development of new environmental cleaning materials. The PANI/PS composite nanofiber could be a good candidate for efficient Pb removal from wastewater and for deep purification of polluted water. The composite materials have been investigated in terms of morphology, chemical structure, thermal behavior, and defect evolution using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Differential Scanning Calorimetry, Thermal Gravimetric Analysis, and Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy, respectively. To measure the adsorption capacity and intensity of adsorption, the adsorption data were fitted in Langmuir, and Freundlich models. J. VINYL ADDIT. TECHNOL., 23:E99-E106, 2017. 1 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers. 1 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers