Aditya Rianjanu, Muhammad Hafidh Saputra, Wahyu Solafide Sipahutar, Dian Ahmad Hapidin, Khairurrijal Khairurrijal, Tarmizi Taher, Januar Widakdo
Synthetic dyes in wastewater pose persistent environmental risks due to their toxicity and resistance to conventional treatment, motivating the development of high-performance filtration membranes. In this work, a niobium pentoxide-modified polyacrylonitrile/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PAN/PVP) nanofiber membrane (t-PAN/PVP/Nb2O5) was fabricated by electrospinning followed by a water-based post-treatment. Morphological and structural characterization (scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD)) confirmed the formation of uniform nanofibers, physical incorporation of Nb2O5, and preservation of the amorphous PAN/PVP matrix. Filtration tests using a 5 ppm methylene blue (MB) solution showed that the t-PAN/PVP/Nb2O5 membrane achieved an MB rejection of 87 ± 5% with a dye flux of (26 ± 7) × 103 Lm–2 h–1 bar–1, representing approximately 235% higher rejection (about 3.3-fold improvement) compared with a commercial nylon membrane (26 ± 11% rejection; (11 ± 1) × 103 Lm–2 h–1 bar–1 flux). Batch adsorption experiments and kinetic modeling further revealed that MB uptake is best described by the pseudo-second-order (PSO) model, indicating specific interactions consistent with Nb2O5-assisted cation-exchange–type adsorption rather than simple physisorption. The membrane also displayed preferential removal of the cationic dye MB over the anionic dye Congo red, indicating a combination of charge-driven interactions and size exclusion. Overall, the results demonstrate that Nb2O5-functionalized PAN/PVP nanofibers obtained via a simple post-treatment route offer a promising platform for efficient dye removal in advanced wastewater treatment. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2025.
Department of Materials Engineering, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia; Research Group of Physics and Technology of Advanced Materials, Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Institut Teknologi Bandung, Jalan Ganesa No. 10, Jawa Barat, Bandung, 40132, Indonesia; Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Infrastructure and Regional Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia; Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Center for Green and Sustainable Materials, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia
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