Cellulose based electrospun nanofilters: perspectives on tannery effluent waste water treatment

Development of nanofilters with the ability to remove toxic metal ions from effluent wastewater will be of immense help to the leather industry. In this study, fibrous nanofilter (FNF) was prepared using microfibrillated cellulose and tea leaf microparticles blended in poly (vinyl) alcohol. FNF was analysed for its efficacy to remove hazardous metals from tannery effluent wastewater. The FNF had promising traits of tensile strength (19.24 + 0.05 Mpa), elongation at break (22.31 + 0.12%), flexibility (10.88 + 0.05%), water absorption (37.86 + 0.14%) and desorption (32.54 + 0.33%). The metal adsorption studies clearly reflected the removal of toxic Cr (VI) ions from the effluent water by FNF. The study establishes an economically feasible and highly efficient way to remove hazardous metal ions from effluent wastewater.