Photo-Fenton assisted self-cleaning hybrid ultrafiltration membranes with high-efficient flux recovery for wastewater remediation

• Published in: Separation and purification technology Vol. 249; p. 117159
• Main Authors: Wang, Ming, Xu, Zewen, Hou, Yingfei, Li, Peng, Sun, Haixiang, Niu, Q. Jason
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.10.2020
• Subjects: Anti-fouling; photo-Fenton catalytic; Ultrafiltration; β-FeOOH; Anti-fouling; Ultrafiltration; β-FeOOH; photo-Fenton catalytic
• ISSN: 1383-5866; 1873-3794
• DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2020.117159

[Display omitted] •β-FeOOH nanorods were anchored onto polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration (UF).•Two kinds of interactions guaranteed nanorods attaching onto the surface.•Photo-Fenton catalytic of nanorods strengthened the self-cleaning of the membrane.•The membrane exhibited a high-efficient flux recovery for wastewater remediation. Membrane fouling problems severely hindered the integrated development of membrane technology. Currently, construction of a fouling-resistance membrane was an everlasting and ubiquitous research focus. In this study, β-FeOOH nanorods were anchored onto commercial polysulfone (PSF) ultrafiltration (UF) membranes surface via in-situ mineralization to fabricate an anti-fouling UF membrane for organic and dyes wastewater treatment. The ion-dipole interaction and π-cation interaction between Fe3+ and PSF chains guaranteed β-FeOOH nanorods attaching onto the surface without an intermediate layer. A satisfying flux recovery ratio (93.6% and 94.3%) and a low irreversible fouling ratio (6.4% and 5.9%) for bovine albumin (BSA) and sodium alginate (SA) solutions, respectively, were acquired on account of the photo-Fenton catalytic property and hydrophilicity of nanorods without sacrificing the permeation flux sharply. Importantly, the resultant membrane exhibited a desirable separation performance for various dyes solutions, with high permeation flux (53.6–100.0 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1) and appropriate rejection rates (60.9–92.6%). This work not only improved the anti-organic fouling performance extensively, but also provided a novel insight to decorate the conventional UF membrane surface straightforward without an intermediate layer.