Synthesis and characterization of triethanolamine-modified polyacrylonitrile fiber for efficient removal of Cr(VI) Ions from wastewater
摘要
In this study, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibers were chemically modified with triethanolamine to develop efficient and cost-effective anion-exchange fibrous sorbents for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions. Structural characterization using FT-IR spectroscopy confirmed successful functionalization, showing the incorporation of –OH and –NH groups and partial transformation of nitrile groups. Thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry analyses revealed enhanced thermal stability and hygroscopic behavior of PAN-T fibers compared to unmodified PAN. Potentiometric titration indicated the presence of weakly basic tertiary amine groups with a pKa of 8.11 and an ion exchange capacity of 2.03 meq/g. Under optimal conditions (pH 2.8–3.1), the modified PAN-T fiber exhibited excellent Cr(VI) uptake capacity (398–421 mg/g), far surpassing that of commercial resins such as Amberlite IRA-400 and Dowex 1X8. Sorption–desorption studies demonstrated high regeneration efficiency, retaining 94% of its capacity after ten cycles using 0.1 M NaOH. Competitive ion studies confirmed high selectivity of PAN-T for Cr(VI) over common anions such as Cl−, NO3−, and SO42−. These results highlight the potential of PAN-T fibers as robust, selective, and reusable sorbents for industrial wastewater treatment.