Textile wastewater accommodates many toxic organic contaminants that could potentially threaten the ecosystem if left untreated. Methylene blue is a toxic, non-biodegradable, cationic dye that is reportedly observed in significant amounts in the textile effluent stream as it is widely used to dye silk and cotton fabrics. Congo red is a carcinogenic anionic dye commonly used in the textile industry. This study reports an investigation of methylene blue and Congo red removal using a chitosan-graphene oxide dip-coated electrospun nanofiber membrane. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), FT-IR Spectroscopy, Raman Spectroscopy, UV-vis Spectroscopy, Drop Shape Analyzer, and X-ray Diffraction. The isotherm modeling confirmed a maximum adsorptive capacity of 201 mg/g for methylene blue and 152 mg/g for Congo red, which were well fitted with a Langmuir isotherm model indicating homogenous monolayer adsorption.

Untreated textile effluent may contain toxic organic pollutants that can have negative impacts on the ecosystem. Among the harmful chemicals present in dyeing wastewater, there are two frequently used organic dyes: methylene blue (cationic) and congo red (anionic). The current study presents investigations on a novel two-tier nanocomposite membrane, i.e., a top layer formed of electrosprayed chitosan–graphene oxide and a bottom layer consisting of an ethylene diamine functionalized polyacrylonitrile electrospun nanofiber for the simultaneous removal of the congo red and methylene blue dyes. The fabricated nanocomposite was characterized using FT-IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, and Drop Shape Analyzer. Isotherm modeling was used to determine the efficiency of dye adsorption for the electrosprayed nanocomposite membrane and the confirmed maximum adsorptive capacities of 182.5 mg/g for congo red and 219.3 mg/g for methylene blue, which fits with the Langmuir isotherm model, suggesting uniform single-layer adsorption. It was also discovered that the adsorbent preferred an acidic pH level for the removal of congo red and a basic pH level for the removal of methylene blue. The gained results can be a first step for the development of new wastewater cleaning techniques.