Abstract
Photocatalytic membranes possessing both photocatalytic and solid-liquid separation capabilities were developed. These materials are based on ternary 1% CuO/TiO2@GCN (1:9) embedded on cellulose acetate (CA) via the phase inversion method. The CA membranes containing 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 wt% of 1% CuO/TiO2@GCN (1:9) (CTG–100, CTG–300 and CTG–500) were fabricated. The deposition of 1% CuO/TiO2@GCN (1:9) onto the CA membranes and the consequential changes in the materials’ properties were investigated with various characterization techniques. For instance, PXRD, FTIR, and XPS analysis provided evidence that photocatalytic membranes were formed. Electron microscopy and EDX were then used to visualize the photocatalytic membranes and show that the photocatalyst (1% CuO/TiO2@GCN (1:9)) was well dispersed onto the CA membrane. On the other hand, the properties of the photocatalytic membranes were scrutinized, where it was found that the membranes had a sponge-like morphology and that was significantly less hydrophilic compared to neat CA. The removal of KP in water using CTG–500 exhibited over 94% efficiency, while 38% for neat CA was achieved. Water permeability flux improved with increasing 1% CuO/TiO2@GCN (1:9) and hydrophilicity of the membranes. The electrical energy consumption was calculated and determined to be significantly lower than that of the CA membrane. The CTG–500 membrane after every cycle showed self-cleaning ability after operation in drinking and groundwater.
Highlights
The polymeric membrane filtration technique is a widely practiced strategy for the removal of environmental contaminants from water
Lyst consisted of 1% CuO/TiO2 nanoparticles distributed on the surface of graphitic carbon nitride (GCN)
The evidence suggests that the interaction that occurred between CuO/TiO2 @GCN and cellulose acetate (CA) matrix were Van Der Waals forces, i.e., hydrogen bonding formed between the hydroxyl group in the cellulose network and the surface OH groups of the photocatalyst
Summary
The polymeric membrane filtration technique is a widely practiced strategy for the removal of environmental contaminants from water. The industrial application of cellulose acetate based membranes, in particular, is restricted because they are super-hydrophobic, and that membrane fouling occurs quickly The consequences of their hydrophobicity and propensity to foul are that their separation efficiency is reduced and so is their water flux, resulting in high electrical energy consumption (EEC ) as high pressure is required. Modifying the CA membranes was done to exploit synergetic properties between CA and CuO, TiO2 and GCN sheets such that visible light absorption is achieved, fouling is suppressed, improve water flux and separation efficiency towards water samples spiked with ketoprofen as a model of contaminant. These materials would ideally be incorporated into existing wastewater treatment processes pre-chlorination to limit the use of toxic chlorine
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