Preparation of electrospun magnetic polyvinyl butyral/Fe2O3 nanofibrous membranes for effective removal of iron ions from groundwater

Removing iron ions from groundwater to purify, it is a challenge faced by countries across the globe, which is why developing polymeric microfiltration membranes has garnered much attention. The authors of this study set out to develop nanofibrous membranes by embedding magnetic Fe(2)O(3)nanoparticles (MNPs) into polyvinylbutyral (PVB) nanofibers via the electrospinning process. Investigation was made into the effects of the concentration of the PVB and MNPs on the morphology of the nanofibers, their magnetic properties, and capacity for filtration to remove iron ions. The fabrication and presence of well-incorporated MNPs in the PVB nanofibers were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Depending on the concentration of the MNPs, the membranes exhibited magnetization to the extent of 45.5 emu g(-1); hence, they exceeded the performance of related nanofibrous membranes in the literature. The magnetic membranes possessed significantly higher efficiency for filtration compared to their nonmagnetic analogues, revealing their potential for groundwater treatment applications.