Fabrication and characterization of MXene/carbon composite-based nanofibers (MXene/CNFs) membrane: An efficient adsorbent material for removal of Pb+2 and As+3 ions from water

High contamination of toxic heavy metals such as lead (Pb2+) and arsenic (As3+) in water is a major threat to human health and aquatic life. Recently, MXene has been applied as a promising platform for the adsorption of heavy metals. However, its composites have rarely been investigated for the removal of heavy metals yet. Herein, we have synthesized MXene/Carbon composite-based nanofibers (MXene/CNFs) membrane for efficient removal of Pb2+ and As3+ ions up to their permissible limits through an efficient adsorption study. The adsorption results were fit well with both the Langmuir and the pseudosecond-order models. The MXene/CNFs composite membrane showed high adsorption capability for Pb2+ (12.5 mg.g-1) and As3+ (3.3 mg.g-1) at an optimized neutral pH within 20 and 30 min respectively. The removal rates for Pb2+ and As3+ ions were achieved at 89% and 81% respectively which are much sufficient to treat contaminated water at low concentrations (10 mu gL-1 to 10 mgL-1). Additionally, the MXene/CNFs composite membrane showed good recycling up to 4 cycles with removal efficiencies of both ions Pb2+ (77%) and As3+ (60%). As a result, the prepared MXene/CNFs membrane pave the way for an efficient, affordable, lightweight, and environmentally friendly route for the removal of lead and arsenic ions up to their permissible limit for drinking water. (c) 2023 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.