Prepared acrylic nanofiber by electrospinning technique for air purification in petroleum refineries

The particle matter (PM) and poisoning gases represent the major pollutants of the air in petroleum refineries. The purification of air from all these dangerous contaminants required a special air filtration system. In this investigation, three types of acrylic nanofibers were synthesized using an electrospinning technique. Three concentrations of acrylic polymers were used in the nanofiber preparation process (i.e., 10, 15, and 20 wt %). The preparation conditions for the electrospinning system were selected to be 25 °C, 20 KV, and 20 cm for operating temperature, applied voltage, and distance between needle and target, respectively. The morphological and structural properties of nanofibers were evaluated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicated that the prepared nanofibers at concentration of 15 wt% have the ability to remove all contaminants of particulate matters (PM10 and PM2.5) due to their structural distribution framework. Moreover, it was noted that the concentration of acrylic polymer plays an important key to determine the nanofiber quality. Additionally, the electrospinning system can be used for a high air quality application with simple operation, and low cost.