Desarrollo y caracterización de nanofibras electrohiladas con quitosano para su potencial aplicación en el tratamiento de aguas residuales

Abstract

Water pollution caused by industrial effluents and untreated discharges represents a major environmental challenge, requiring more efficient and sustainable alternatives than conventional treatment methods. This study focused on the development and characterization of electrospun nanofibrous membranes based on chitosan, a renewable biopolymer, using polyvinyl alcohol as a supporting polymer, with the aim of assessing their potential application in wastewater treatment. The results demonstrated that chitosan, despite its high chemical functionality, cannot be effectively processed by electrospinning on its own due to intrinsic rheological limitations. The incorporation of polyvinyl alcohol was essential to stabilize the process and enable the formation of continuous fibrous networks. Among the evaluated formulations, the PVA/CS 80:20 ratio exhibited the most favorable performance, achieving a balance between process stability, structural continuity, and morphological control, resulting in homogeneous fibers with micrometric diameters. Spectroscopic characterization confirmed the preservation of chitosan functional groups, particularly amino and hydroxyl groups, which are responsible for interactions with contaminants. The obtained nanofibrous morphology, combined with adsorption efficiencies reported in the literature for similar systems, supports the potential of the developed membranes as advanced adsorbent materials. This work provides a solid technical basis for the design of sustainable nanomaterials aimed at wastewater treatment technologies.