Development of Nb2O5 Nanofibers for Cadmium(II) Removal

Abstract Aquatic contamination by toxic metals, including cadmium(II), is a major concern of modern society. This work reports the novel use of Nb 2 O 5 nanofibers for cadmium(II) adsorption. Precursor nanofibers were obtained by centrifugal spinning, followed by annealing to obtain Nb 2 O 5 nanofibers with a porous structure, crystalline phase, and specific surface area of 30.52 m 2 g − 1 . Maximum cadmium(II) adsorption was achieved at pH 6 and 328 K, with adsorption capacity of 40.39 mg g − 1 , under the applied experimental conditions. The pseudo-second order model provided the best fit to the kinetic data, while the equilibrium data could be fitted by the Langmuir model. The adsorption thermodynamics revealed the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the process. Regeneration tests showed that the nanofibers maintained 97.19% of the original cadmium(II) adsorption capacity after two adsorption-desorption cycles, enabling reuse to reduce the cost and environmental impact of Nb 2 O 5 nanofiber synthesis. In summary, Nb 2 O 5 nanofibers were effectively synthesized and presented excellent characteristics as a potential alternative for the adsorptive removal of cadmium(II).