Enhancing adsorption–photocatalytic efficiency with graphene oxide and metal oxide electrospun nanofiber membranes

Abstract Industrial wastewater containing methylene blue (MB) poses major environmental and health risks due to its persistence, toxicity, and resistance to biodegradation, necessitating more efficient treatment strategies. Conventional adsorption and photocatalysis methods often suffer from limited recyclability, low recovery, and reduced overall efficiency, driving interest in nanomaterial-based solutions. This study aims to improve adsorption–photocatalytic degradation of MB using cellulose acetate (CA) electrospun nanofiber membranes modified with graphene oxide (GO), metal oxides (ZnO, TiO 2 , CdS), and zeolite. The membranes were fabricated via electrospinning and characterized using FESEM, EDX, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR to determine morphology, composition, crystallinity, and functional groups. Adsorption–photocatalytic performance was analyzed by UV–Vis spectroscopy, with Langmuir and Freundlich models used to evaluate adsorption behavior. The CA/SDS-GO/zeolite/TiO 2 membrane nanofiber achieved the highest performance, with an adsorption–photocatalysis capacity of 233.20 mg/g and efficiency of 93.28 %, outperforming ZnO- and CdS-based variants. Its superior activity is attributed to increased surface area, enhanced porosity, and strong synergistic interactions with TiO 2 . The adsorption data followed the Langmuir isotherm model ( R 2 = 0.9999), indicating monolayer adsorption with high dye affinity. These findings highlight the potential of GO-metal oxide–zeolite nanocomposites as effective, environmentally friendly materials for wastewater treatment.