Abstract
The increasing discharge of voluminous non or partially treated wastewaters characterized by complex contaminants poses significant ecological and health risks. Particularly, this practice impacts negatively on socio-economic, technological, industrial, and agricultural development. Therefore, effective control of water pollution is imperative. Over the past decade, membrane filtration has been established as an effective and commercially attractive technology for the separation and purification of water. The performance of membrane-based technologies relies on the intrinsic properties of the membrane barrier itself. As a result, the development of innovative techniques for the preparation of highly efficient membranes has received remarkable attention. Moreover, growing concerns related to cost-effective and greener technologies have induced the need for eco-friendly, renewable, biodegradable, and sustainable source materials for membrane fabrication. Recently, advances in nanotechnology have led to the development of new high-tech nanomaterials from natural polymers (e.g., cellulose) for the preparation of environmentally benign nanocomposite membranes. The synthesis of nanocomposite membranes using nanocelluloses (NCs) has become a prominent research field. This is attributed to the exceptional characteristics of these nanomaterials (NMs) namely; excellent and tuneable surface chemistry, high mechanical strength, low-cost, biodegradability, biocompatibility, and renewability. For this purpose, the current paper opens with a comprehensive yet concise description of the various types of NCs and their most broadly utilized production techniques. This is closely followed by a critical review of how NC substrates and their surface-modified versions affect the performance of the fabricated NC-based membranes in various filtration processes. Finally, the most recent processing technologies for the preparation of functionalized NCs-based composite membranes are discussed in detail and their hybrid characteristics relevant to membrane filtration processes are highlighted.
Highlights
Water is one of the key cornerstones for human survival and development
This review focuses on the critical analysis of the recent developments regarding the synthesis of functionalized NCs-based composite
The summarized data demonstrate that low NCs loadings are sufficient to significantly improve the mechanical properties of composite membranes made of various blends, such as NCs/cadmium selenide (CdSe) and various polymers including poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB), cellulose acetate (CA), and polyvinylidene difluoride–co
Summary
Water is one of the key cornerstones for human survival and development. Over the years, the rapid growth of the world population, the fast development of industries, and the drastic climate changes occurring worldwide have considerably contributed to the gradual depletion of natural freshwater resources; which constitute only less than 3% of the water available on the planet. Nanocomposite membranes made of nanomaterials (NMs) incorporated within conventional polymeric matrices have been in the spotlight Their tuneable structures and properties, including permeability, hydrophilicity, mechanical stability, and reduced ecological footprint, make them suitable for a large variety of applications in the water treatment industry [21,22,24]. Because of their innate advantages over other nano-engineered materials, nanocelluloses (NCs) have gained increasing popularity as excellent green reinforcement materials [25]. Some perspectives on future research and developments of innovative processing routes to produce high-performance NCs-based composite membranes are suggested as a potential approach to overcome current challenges
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
