Valorization of Geothermal Silica Waste in the Fabrication of PVA-Based Nanofiber via Electrospinning: Morphological, Mechanical, and Surface Property Evaluation
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study explores the valorization of geothermal silica waste as a functional filler for the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based nanofibers via electrospinning. Geothermal silica was processed through a sol–gel route and incorporated at varying weight fractions (0–7 wt%) into PVA solutions before electrospinning. The resulting nanofiber mats were characterized in terms of morphology, elemental composition, chemical structure, mechanical properties, and surface wettability using FESEM-EDS, FTIR, Vickers hardness testing, and water contact angle measurements. Silica incorporation influenced the nanofiber morphology, reducing the average fiber diameter to 170 nm at 5 wt% silica loading; however, excessive silica content promoted bead formation and fiber fusion due to limited silica dispersion within the PVA matrix. EDS and FTIR analyses confirmed the incorporation of geothermal-derived silica within the PVA nanofiber matrix. Mechanical evaluation revealed that 1 wt% silica loading exhibited the highest hardness value (20.36 HV), while higher silica concentrations reduced mechanical performance due to morphological defects and silica aggregation. Surface wettability analysis showed improved hydrophilic behavior with increasing silica loading up to 5 wt%, while excessive silica addition resulted in reduced wettability due to morphological heterogeneity. These findings demonstrate that geothermal silica waste can be successfully converted into functional PVA/silica nanofibers fcomposites, highlighting the importance of silica loading optimization to achieve balanced mechanical and surface properties for potential membrane-related applications and circular economy strategies.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Chen J, Yu Z, Li C, Lv Y, Hong S, Hu P, Liu Y. Review of the principles, devices, parameters, and applications for centrifugal electrospinning. Macromol Mater Eng. 2022;307:2200057. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.202200057
Kenry, Lim CT. Nanofiber technology: Current status and emerging developments. Prog Polym Sci. 2017;70:1–17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2017.03.002
Zhang F, Si Y, Yu J, Ding B. Electrospun porous engineered nanofiber materials: A versatile medium for energy and environmental applications. Chem Eng J. 2023;456:140989. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.140989
Lyu C, Zhao P, Xie J, Dong S, Liu J, Rao C, et al. Electrospinning of nanofibrous membrane and its applications in air filtration: A review. Nanomaterials. 2021;11:1501. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nano11061501
Kim G, Doh SJ, Kim Y, Oh HJ, Lee GD, Im JN. Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol composite nonwovens for air filtration materials in the humidity environment. Fibers Polym. 2022;23:690–698. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-022-3418-7
Mai Z, Liu Q, Bian Y, Wang P, Fu X, Lin D, et al. PCL/collagen/UA composite biomedical dressing with ordered microfiberous structure fabricated by a 3D near-field electrospinning process. Polymers. 2022;15:223. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15010223
Thielke MW, Guzmán SL, Tafoya JP, Tamayo EG, Castro C, Hosseinaei O, et al. Full lignin-derived electrospun carbon materials as electrodes for supercapacitors. Front Mater. 2022;9:859872. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmats.2022.859872
Wang B, Wang J, Lou Y, Ding S, Xu J, Liu F, et al. Halloysite nanotubes strengthened electrospinning composite nanofiber membrane for on-skin flexible pressure sensor. Appl Clay Sci. 2022;228:106650. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clay.2022.106650
Song J, Lin X, Ee LY, et al. A review on electrospinning as versatile supports for diverse nanofibers and their applications in environmental sensing. Adv Fiber Mater. 2023;5:429–460. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-022-00237-5
Liu Q, Luo S, Peng J, Chang R. Electrospun nanofibers from plant natural products: A new approach toward efficient wound healing. Int J Nanomedicine. 2024;19:13973–13990. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S501970
Zhu M, Han J, Wang F, Shao W, Xiong R, Zhang Q, et al. Electrospun nanofibers membranes for effective air filtration. Macromol Mater Eng. 2017;302:1600353. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mame.201600353
Bhardwaj N, Kundu SC. Electrospinning: A fascinating fiber fabrication technique. Biotechnol Adv. 2010;28:325–347. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biotechadv.2010.01.004
Sabra O, Hussein A, Obaid M. Preparation and evaluation of water resistance, mechanical and morphological characteristics of PVA/SiO₂ nanocomposites for food industry applications. Dig J Nanomater Biostruct. 2021;16:733–745. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15251/DJNB.2021.162.733
Chen Y, Fan H, Zha X, et al. Fabrication of silica/PVA-co-PE nanofiber membrane for oil/water separation. Fashion Text. 2021;8:14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40691-021-00252-x
Kulczyńska J, Chibrikov V, Pawcenis D, Jędrzejczyk RJ, Sebastian V, Cybulska J, et al. Sustainable poly(vinyl alcohol)/chitosan electrospun nanofibers and casted films with bioactive additives. Ind Crops Prod. 2025;233:121335. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2025.121335
Nirwan M, Setyawan H, Widiyastuti W. Synthesis of PVA/SiO₂ nanofibers by electrospinning method for supercapacitor separators. IPTEK J Proc Ser. 2021;6:336. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12962/j23546026.y2020i6.11119
Rifansyah TBI. Pengaruh variasi SiO₂ dalam nanofiber PVA/SiO₂ dari silika sekam padi menggunakan metode electrospinning. Skripsi, Universitas Lampung; 2022 (unpublished).
Bjorge D, Daels N, De Vrieze S, Dejans P, Van Camp T, Audenaert W, et al. Performance assessment of electrospun nanofibers for filter applications. Sep Purif Technol. 2011;81:231–238
Gharibi A, Kashefi M, Nasrollahzadeh M. Recent advances in the electrospinning of polymer nanofibers and their applications in water treatment. RSC Adv. 2019;9:17436–17455.
Zhafira N, Kurniawan F, Aziz M. Utilization of volcanic ash waste as a raw material for silica synthesis in composite membrane fabrication. J Environ Chem Eng. 2023;11:110783
Syahrul S, Putri DA, Hartati H. Zeolite-based composite membranes for heavy metal removal from aqueous solutions: A review. Mater Today Proc. 2022;63:101–107.
Zhang L, Zhang W, Yu D, Shen H. The preparation of electrospun PVA/silica nanofibers and their application in filtration. J Appl Polym Sci. 2021;138:50893.
Wang H, Ding X, Li B. Preparation and characterization of electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/silica nanofiber membranes for water purification. J Membr Sci. 2020;596:117698.
Ramakrishna S, Fujihara K, Teo WE, Lim TC, Ma Z. An introduction to electrospinning and nanofibers. Singapore: World Scientific; 2005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1142/5894
Pant B, Park M, Park SJ, Kim HY. Electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol) hybrid nanofibers containing functionalized silica nanoparticles for antibacterial applications. Colloids Surf A. 2019;572:66–72.
Zhang X, Reagan MR, Kaplan DL. Electrospun silk biomaterial scaffolds for regenerative medicine. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2009;61:988–1006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2009.07.005
Li D, Xia Y. Electrospinning of nanofibers: Reinventing the wheel? Adv Mater. 2004;16:1151–1170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.200400719
Huang ZM, Zhang YZ, Kotaki M, Ramakrishna S. A review on polymer nanofibers by electrospinning and their applications in nanocomposites. Compos Sci Technol. 2003;63:2223–2253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-3538(03)00178-7
Zong X, Kim K, Fang D, Ran S, Hsiao BS, Chu B. Structure and process relationship of electrospun bioabsorbable nanofiber membranes. Polymer. 2002;43:4403–4412. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0032-3861(02)00275-6
Subbiah T, Bhat GS, Tock RW, Parameswaran S, Ramkumar SS. Electrospinning of nanofibers. J Appl Polym Sci. 2005;96:557–569. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/app.21481
Agarwal S, Wendorff JH, Greiner A. Use of electrospinning technique for biomedical applications. Polymer. 2008;49:5603–5621. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polymer.2008.09.014
Bhattarai N, Edmondson D, Veiseh O, Matsen FA, Zhang M. Electrospun chitosan-based nanofibers and their cellular compatibility. Biomaterials. 2005;26:6176–6184. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.03.027
Doshi J, Reneker DH. Electrospinning process and applications of electrospun fibers. J Electrostat. 1995;35:151–160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-3886(95)00041-8
Reneker DH, Chun I. Nanometre diameter fibres of polymer, produced by electrospinning. Nanotechnology. 1996;7:216–223. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0957-4484/7/3/009
Greiner A, Wendorff JH. Electrospinning: A fascinating method for the preparation of ultrathin fibers. Angew Chem Int Ed. 2007;46:5670–5703. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.200604646
Yang Q, Li Z, Hong Y, Zhao Y, Qiu S, Wang C, Wei Y. Influence of solvents on the formation of ultrathin uniform poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) nanofibers with electrospinning process. Polymer. 2004;45:7151–7164.
Frenot A, Chronakis IS. Polymer nanofibers assembled by electrospinning. Curr Opin Colloid Interface Sci. 2003;8:64–75. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1359-0294(03)00004-9
Rahman Khan MM, Pal S, Hoque MM, Alam MR, Younus M, Kobayashi H. Simple fabrication of PVA-ZnS composite films with superior photocatalytic performance: Enhanced luminescence property, morphology, and thermal stability. ACS Omega. 2019;4:6144–6153. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.8b02807
Al-Emam E, Soenen H, Caen J, et al. Characterization of polyvinyl alcohol-borax/agarose (PVA-B/AG) double network hydrogel utilized for the cleaning of works of art. Herit Sci. 2020;8:106. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-020-00447-3
Menazea AA, Ismail AM, Awwad NS, Ibrahium HA. Physical characterization and antibacterial activity of PVA/Chitosan matrix doped by selenium nanoparticles prepared via one-pot laser ablation route. J Mater Res Technol. 2020;9:9598–9606. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2020.06.077
Salamah S, Mufandi I, Jumiati J, Fadhilah A. Synthesis and optimization of snake fruit peel ash-derived silica for iron (Fe) removal from batik wastewater. J Ilmu Lingkungan. 2025;23:54–61. DOI: https://doi.org/10.14710/jil.23.1.54-61
Kesavan K, Agilan S, Muthukumarasamy N, Krishnasamy V, Vinitha G. Synthesis, characterization and nonlinear optical properties of Si/PVA-PEG nanocomposites. J Ovonic Res. 2020;16:355–360. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15251/JOR.2020.166.355