Cr(VI) in chromium-containing industrial wastewater, which is highly toxic and difficult to degrade, brings great challenges to the treatment of industrial wastewater. However, conventional chromium removal methods suffer from low efficiency and secondary contamination. This study demonstrates that the micelle-enhanced nanofiltration (MENF) process is an effective strategy for the removal of Cr(VI). Micelles generated from two commonly used cationic surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC)) were capable of complexing with Cr(VI), resulting in the formation of aggregates with larger hydrodynamic diameters that were effectively retained by the membrane. The results showed that CTAC had a greater performance in removing Cr(VI) compared to CTAB, and the removal rate can reach 98.55 % at an initial concentration of 100 ppm. Meanwhile, the retention rate of surfactant under each condition was more than 96.23 %, which effectively reduced the generation of secondary pollution. Even in the presence of interfering anions, Cr(VI) still had a high affinity for cationic surfactant micelles. In addition, concentration polarization and micelles deposition acted as the main fouling potential during MENF process. This study provides a new insight into technological innovation and environmental protection in the field of wastewater treatment.
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