Nanofiltration membrane functionalized with CuxP nanoparticles: A promising approach for enhanced pesticide removal and long-term stability

Abstract

The present study focuses on developing a high-performance nanofiltration (NF) membrane based on polyethersulfone (PES), incorporating green furosemide functionalized CuxP nanoparticles (NPs). This research aims to improve the membrane properties and enhance its ability to reject diazinon pesticide. The PES NF membrane underwent activation with CuxP, followed by varying concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 wt%) of the aforementioned NPs. Characterization of the NF membranes was achieved by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), zeta potential measurements, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analydsis and tensile strength evaluation. Additionally, the membranes were subjected to investigations pertaining to mean pore radius, porosity, surface hydrophilicity, antifouling properties, chemical oxygen demand (COD), NO3−, and turbidity removal. Also, membrane rejection with and without chlorine treatment over 10 days in different pH levels (1–13), pure water flux (PWF), and flux recovery ratio (FRR) in long-term performance in dead-end and cross-flow setup were investigated.Among the fabricated membranes, the 0.1 wt% CuxP membrane exhibited noteworthy performance. It demonstrated a PWF of 29.86 kg/m2h, approximately 2.58 times higher than the bare membrane. Furthermore, the optimal membrane achieved FRR of 93.27%, representing a 1.60-fold improvement over the bare membrane. Importantly, the optimally modified membrane displayed the highest permeability and surface hydrophilicity, effectively reducing irreversible fouling while maintaining a high pesticide rejection rate of 98.72%. The efficiency of the CuxP membranes in agricultural wastewater filtration was also evaluated. The results demonstrated that these membranes yielded a high normalized flux and exhibited impressive removal rates, including 98.56% for COD, 97% for turbidity, and 86.02% for nitrate ions (NO3−). Overall, the developed CuxP membranes showcased outstanding separation performance, remarkable antifouling properties, and significant potential for application in agricultural wastewater treatment facilities.