Adsorption of iron (III) onto chemically modified polyacrylonitrile nanofibers from aqueous solution and used as photocatalyst for the degradation bromophenol blue dye

Hydrazine modified polyacrylonitrile (F-PAN) nanofibers were used as an adsorbent for the removal of iron ions (Fe(III)) from aqueous medium and then iron adsorbed F-PAN nanofibers (Fe/F-PAN) is used as a photocatalyst for the degradation of bromophenol blue in aqueous medium. The F-PAN nanofibers were analyzed by scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-rays (EDX), and Fourier transform infra-red spectrometer. However, the iron adsorption and photodegradation study were carried out via atomic absorption and ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometers, respectively. The morphological study presented that the Fe were adsorbed on nanofibers mat, which present both in agglomerated and in dispersed form. The presence of Fe was also confirmed by EDX. The adsorption study presented that the equilibrium adsorption data were best fitted to Freundlich model as compared with Langmuir isotherm model. The saturation adsorption capacity for iron was 112 mg g ^–1 . The Fe/F-PAN nanofibers were employed for the photocatalytic degradation of bromophenol blue dye in aqueous media under UV-irradiation as a function of time, concentration of dye, pH, and Fe/F-PAN catalyst dosage. The photodegradation study showed that Fe/F-PAN nanofibers degraded about 88% of bromophenol blue dye in aqueous medium within 20 min. The photocatalytic degradation capability of recovered Fe/F-PAN catalyst was also investigated. It was found that the recovered Fe/F-PAN catalyst significantly degraded bromophenol blue, but its catalytic activity was slightly lower than original Fe/F-PAN nanofibers.