Fabrication of porous carbon nanofiber webs from polyacrylonitrile and cellulose acetate for NaCl removal from water using capacitive deionization
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Date
2024-01-01
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IWA Publishing
Abstract
Capacitive deionization (CDI) has shown potential in addressing freshwater scarcity. CDI's electrode design is a key to better performance as
it determines the extent of water purification. For carbon electrodes, the pore structure is an important factor influencing removal kinetics
and ion storage. Herein, porous carbon nanofibers with diameters ranging from 277 to 348 nm were fabricated from blends of polyacryloni-
trile (PAN) and cellulose acetate (CA) through electrospinning and carbonization. Surface area and pore properties were adjusted by varying
the proportions of the precursors while ensuring no adverse alteration to the products’ tangible properties. Enhanced pore structure and
specific surface area were evident in the blend-based carbon nanofibers. The blend ratio of 2:8 (CA:PAN) had a high specific surface area
of 925.47 m2 /g and a pore volume of 0.7884 cm 3
/g. Correspondingly, a high specific capacitance of 177.5 F/g was attained. Desalination per-
formance was determined in batch mode using 500 mg/L NaCl solution. A salt adsorption capacity of 6.57 mg/g and charge efficiency of 0.46
was obtained for the blend that had 20% CA. The carbon nanofibers demonstrated good desalination stability when used repetitively indi-
cating their excellent potential for practical application
Sustainable Development Goals
This research article was published by IWA, 2024
Keywords
capacitive deionization, carbon nanofibers, desalination, electrosorption, electrospinning