Removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solutions by poly(ether sulfones)/poly(ethyleneimine) nanofibrous affinity membranes

摘要

A novel nanofibrous affinity membrane was used for removing Cu(Ⅱ) from aqueous solutions. The membranes of poly(ether sulfones) (PES) blended with a functional polymer poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) were fabricated by electrospinning technique followed by crosslinked in a mixtrue of acetone and ethyl ether with glutaraldehyde (crosslinking agent, GA). The adsorbability for Cu(Ⅱ) of the PES/PEI nanofibrous affinity membrane was investigated by a series of static adsorption experiments. The effect of contact time and initial Cu(Ⅱ) concentration on the adsorption performance was systematically investigated. Equilibrium studies show that Cu(Ⅱ) adsorption data follow Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption capacity for Cu(Ⅱ) was estimated to be 63.82 mg·g.1 dry membrane with a Langmuir adsorption constant of 0.0191 L/mg. From these preliminary evaluations, it is possible to conclude that the PES/PEI nanofibrous affinity membranes have great potential for applications in water treatment for the removal of heavy metal ions.