Nano Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) electrospun fiber from plastic waste for heavy metals removal from wastewater

One of the greatest inventions of the twenty-first century, plastics benefit humans in many facets of life, including construction, healthcare, packaging, agriculture, and automobiles. The production of plastic is growing quickly due to rising demand and ease of processing, which is causing a significant amount of garbage to accumulate in the environment. Plastic waste management is an open challenge and a threat to the global environment due to several factors, including a lack of infrastructure, poorly managed recycling facilities and technologies, ineffective waste collection systems, improper and unrestrained disposal practices, and a lack of awareness. Incineration, landfilling, recycling, and reuse were once thought to be the most effective methods for managing plastic garbage, but they were deemed insufficient to address the problem's significant magnitude, and all these methods were considered to conflict with SDG sustainable developed goals. Additionally, plastic waste (PW) can cause cancer, harm to the neurological system, fast genetic changes, and metabolic issues in people because of its chemical makeup and long disintegration times. This article examines plastic waste recycling, focusing on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) recycling through electrospinning to produce nanofiber membranes. The study investigates the effects of different solvent systems and chitosan addition on PET nanofiber morphology and properties. Electrospinning parameters were optimized, and the resulting nanofibers were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. The nanofiber membranes were also evaluated for metal ion adsorption capacity. Results indicate that a TFA/DCM (70:30) solvent mixture produced the most uniform PET nanofibers, with fiber diameter decreasing upon chitosan addition. The PET/chitosan nanofiber membranes demonstrated promising moisture management and metal ion adsorption properties, suggesting potential applications in water purification and filtration. This research contributes to addressing plastic waste management challenges while developing value-added products from recycled materials.