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Boosting brackish water treatment via integration of mesoporous γ-Al 2 O 3 NPs with thin-film nanofiltration membranes.
- Source :
-
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2022 Nov 16; Vol. 12 (1), pp. 19666. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 16. - Publication Year :
- 2022
-
Abstract
- In this study, a simple method based on non-ionic surfactant polysorbates-80 was used to create mesoporous γ-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> NPs. The properties of the prepared mesoporous alumina nanoparticles (Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> NPs) were verified using ATR-FTIR, XRD, SEM, TEM, DLS, and BET surface area analysis. Then, thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) nanofiltration membranes were fabricated by interfacial polymerization of embedded polyamide layers with varied contents (0.01 to 0.15 wt.%) of mesoporous γ-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> NPs. The surface roughness, porosity, pore size, and contact angle parameters of all the prepared membranes were also determined. The performance of the fabricated membranes was investigated under various mesoporous γ-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> NPs loads, time, and pressure conditions. Mesoporous γ-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> NPs revealed an important role in raising both the membrane hydrophilicity and the surface negativity. The addition of 0.03 wt.% mesoporous γ-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> NPs to the TFN membrane increased water flux threefold compared to the TF control (TFC) membrane, with maximum water flux reaching 96.5, 98, 60, and 52 L/(m <superscript>2</superscript> .h) for MgSO <subscript>4</subscript> , MgCl <subscript>2</subscript> , Na <subscript>2</subscript> SO <subscript>4</subscript> , and NaCl influent solutions, respectively, with the highest salt rejection of 96.5%, 92.2%, 98.4%. The TFN-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript>  membrane was also able to soften water and remove polyvalent cations such as Mg <superscript>2+</superscript> with a highly permeable flux. The TFN-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> membrane successfully removed the hardness of the applied water samples below the WHO limit compared to using merely the TFC membrane. Furthermore, the TFN-Al <subscript>2</subscript> O <subscript>3</subscript> nanofiltration membrane unit proved to be a promising candidate for the desalination of real brine like that collected from the Safaga area, Egypt.<br /> (© 2022. The Author(s).)
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2045-2322
- Volume :
- 12
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Scientific reports
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 36385150
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-23914-2