DEVELOPMENT OF ADSORPTIVE MEMBRANES FOR TREATMENT OF IONIC CONTAMINANTS IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

Abstract

IONIC CONTAMINANTS IN NATURAL WATER HAVE BECOME A WORLDWIDE ISSUE OF GREAT CONCERN. ARSENIC, FLUORIDE, AND HEAVY METALS IN PARTICULAR LEAD AND COPPER ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMONLY ENCOUNTERED IONIC CONTAMINANTS IN WATER AND WASTEWATER. IN THIS STUDY, TWO TYPES OF NOVEL ADSORPTIVE MEMBRANES, ZR-BASED NANO-PARTICLE (NP)/ POLYSULFONE (PSF) MIXED MATRIX HOLLOW FIBER MEMBRANE (HFM) AND ION-IMPRINTED POLY(VINYL ACLCOHOL) (PVA)/ POLY(ACRYLIC ACID) (PAA) ADSORPTIVE MEMBRANE (IIMS), WERE DEVELOPED FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE AFOREMENTIONED IONS FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION. THE PROPERTIES OF THE PRESENT MEMBRANES WERE INVESTIGATED. SORPTION PERFORMANCE OF THESE MEMBRANES WAS EVALUATED UNDER BOTH BATCH AND FILTRATION MODES. COMPREHENSIVE STUDIES OF SORPTION MECHANISMS WERE CONDUCTED BY EXPERIMENTAL AND SPECTROSCOPIC ANALYSES. THE ZR-BASED NP/PSF MIXED MATRIX HFM PERFORMED BETTER IN THE REMOVAL OF ARSENIC AND FLUORIDE UNDER BATCH AND FILTRATION CONDITIONS THAN MANY OTHER REPORTED MATERIALS. IN ADDITION, TH