Adsorption of Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution by an electrospun CeO2 nanofiber adsorbent functionalized with mercapto groups

- The synthesized adsorbent was characterized by SEM, BJH and BET analyses.
- We observed that sorption process was favored at higher temperature.
- qm of PVA/CeO2/P123 was approximately 3 times greater than PVA/CeO2 nanofiber.
- The Pb(II) and Cu(II) ions can easily be desorbed using 0.1 M HNO3 solution.
- The selectivity of metal ion adsorption was in order of Cu(II) > Pb(II).