(326a) Hexavalent Chromium Removal from Water Via Composite Nanofibers

Uniform electrospun polyacrylonitrile / iron (III) nitrate nanofibers with small diameters were successfully prepared by systematically optimizing the electrospinning parameters including polymer concentration, salt loading, applied voltage, tip ­to­ collector distance, and flow rate. These parameters are shown to affect the fiber morphology and the addition of iron (III) nitrate salt was found to be able to reduce the fiber size and required electrospinning voltage. The improved thermal properties of the composite fibers were investigated and shown by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The composite nanofibers were further carbonized to carbon nanofibers. These composite fibers have subsequently been used for hexavalent chromium removal from water. The removal percentage has been found to show a pH dependence and has shown promising results towards an effective water purification method.