title: Development of adsorptive membranes by confinement of activated biochar into electrospun nanofibers.
abstract: Adsorptive membranes have many applications in removal of contaminants, such as heavy metals and organic contaminants from water. Recently, increasing concentrations of pharmaceutically active compounds, especially antibiotics, such as chlortetracycline in water and wastewater sources has raised concerns about their potentially adverse impacts on environment and human health. In this study, a series of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/activated biochar nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) with different loadings of biochar (0-2%, w/w) were fabricated using electrospinning. The morphology and structure of fabricated membranes was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and thermogravimetric analysis. The results showed that at 1.5% of biochar loading, the surface area reached the maximum value of 12.4 m2/g and beyond this loading value, agglomeration of particles inhibited fine interaction with nanofibrous matrix. Also, the adsorption tests using chlortetracycline showed that, under environmentally relevant concentrations, the fabricated adsorptive NFMs had a potential for removal of these types of emerging contaminants from water and wastewaters.
authors.affiliation: INRS-ETE, Université du Québec, 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec, G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taheran
authors.affiliation: INRS-ETE, Université du Québec, 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec, G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Mitra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naghdi
authors.affiliation: INRS-ETE, Université du Québec, 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec, G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Satinder K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Brar
authors.affiliation: Département de Physique, de génie physique et d'optique, Université Laval, Québec,G1V 0A6, Canada.
authors.forename: Emile
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Knystautas
authors.affiliation: CO2 Solutions Inc., 2300, rue Jean-Perrin, Québec, Québec G2C 1T9, Canada.
authors.forename: Mausam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Verma
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, N104 SEC PO Box 886105, Lincoln, NE 68588-6105, USA.
authors.forename: Rao Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Surampalli
authors.affiliation: INRS-ETE, Université du Québec, 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec, G1K 9A9, Canada.
authors.forename: Jose R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Valero
keywords: adsorptive membrane; biochar; chlortetracycline; nanofibers