Reduction of non-point source pollution by poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) composites nanofibers inoculated with sorbent materials

In the present study, poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) nanofibers incorporated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphite were created by the electrospinning method. Monitoring the effectiveness of the carbonaceous materials (CNTs and graphite) in the prepared nanofibers and evaluating their efficiency removal against sources of non-point resource pollution sources such as simazine pesticide. The influence of the removal process parameters concerning the batch mode such as pH, temperature, concentration, and nanofibers dosage was monitored. According to the results, the adsorption capacity of P(St-co-AN) nanocomposites toward simazine increased at pH > 5 and by the raise the concentration of nanofibers doses. Generally, CNTs-based form of P(St-co-AN) nanofibers has a higher uptake capacity than that achieved by the graphitic form. The experimental data showed the applicability of pseudo-2nd-order mechanism for the adsorption of simazine onto P(St-co-AN) nanocomposites with better linearity of the Langmuir model. [GRAPHICS] .

Automated summary

In this study, poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) nanofibers incorporated with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphite were created using the electrospinning method. The effectiveness of the carbonaceous materials in the nanofibers and their efficiency in removing simazine pesticide were evaluated. The experimental results showed that the adsorption capacity of the nanocomposites increased with higher pH values and concentrations of nanofibers, with CNTs-based nanofibers outperforming graphitic ones. Additionally, pseudo-2nd-order mechanism was found to be more suitable for simazine adsorption onto P(St-co-AN) nanocomposites with better linearity compared to the Langmuir model.