NF Membranes Research Articles

Poly-(aminoethyl piperazine) membranes with ultra-thin selective layers prepared via a rate-retarded interfacial polymerization method

New monomers have been exploring to fabricate interfacial polymerized thin film composite membranes for decades. N-aminoethyl piperazine (AEP), an aliphatic amine with a heterocyclic structure, was used in this work as an amine monomer to synthesize nanofiltration membranes. Due to the high reactivity nature of AEP, a rate-retarded interfacial polymerization method was applied, which was realized by applying ultra-low AEP concentration (0.07 wt%), low reaction temperature (4 °C monomer solutions), and ice-water quench. The resulting AEP membrane had much better performance (3–4 times permeance and closed rejections) compared with the membranes prepared by the hot water post-treatment and the oven heat treatment. At lower monomer concentrations, an NF membrane with a selective layer thickness of only around 20 nm was prepared by the rate-retarded interfacial polymerization method. The membranes had a negatively charged surface with "willow leaf" like morphology. The MWCO was around 200 g mol−1, and the water permeance was up to 22.8 L m−2 h−1 bar−1, which is comparable with the commercial polyamide membrane NF270. Therefore, AEP is a very competitive alternative monomer for NF membrane synthesis.

Incorporation of Graphene Oxide Quantum Dots in Gradient Layers of Polyethersulphone Nanofiltration Membranes for Nitrate Rejection from Aqueous Solution.

Graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs) have been widely used to prepare nanofiltration membranes due to the merits of excellent dispersity, ultrasmall size, and unique properties related to graphene. In this study, we first prepared the polyethersulphone-based nanofiltration (PES-NF) membrane via an interfacial polymerization process using a piperazine and m-phenylenediamine mixed solution as the aqueous phase. Then GOQDs were incorporated into the top-down gradient structured layers (i.e., ultrathin layer, interlayer, and substrate membrane layer) of the nanofiltration membrane, and subsequently the effect of GOQD addition on the nitrate rejection was evaluated. Compared with the pristine PES-NF membrane without the incorporation of GOQDs, the fabricated NF membrane (GOQD/PES-NF-2) incorporating GOQDs at both the ultrathin layer and interlayer exhibits more remarkable performances (an acceptable permeation flux of 52.2 L m-1 h-1 and excellent nitrate rejection of 96.3% at 0.6 MPa), the permeation flux of this membrane increases by nearly 2.4 times, and its nitrate rejection also shows a slight enhancement (∼7.6%) compared with those of PES-NF. Remarkably, at the operating pressure much lower than that required by reverse osmosis membranes, the GOQD/PES-NF-2 membrane possesses an equivalent monovalent ion rejection to reverse osmosis membranes but a higher permeation flux. Furthermore, the result of a 7 day continuous stability test validates the excellent durability of the GOQD/PES-NF-2 membrane, and its antifouling and chlorine resistance performances also outperform those of the PES-NF membrane.

Insights into iron-accelerated gypsum scaling mitigation strategies in nanofiltration membrane process

In this study, the impact of ferric ions on gypsum crystallization and NF membrane performance was investigated to mitigate iron-accelerated gypsum scaling. Gypsum scaling in the presence of ferric ions led to a significant decline in the water flux, but a relatively higher reversible fouling ratio was observed compared to that under individual gypsum and iron-oxide scaling. Ferric ions influenced the crystallization of gypsum on NF membranes by serving as additional nucleation sites, leading to accelerated gypsum scaling. Various mitigation methods (e.g., feed spacers and cleaning processes) were evaluated to effectively control iron-accelerated gypsum scaling. The introduction of spacers exhibited a high mitigation efficiency by enhancing the mass transfer of scalant ions due to changes in the water channel hydrodynamics, but the overall efficiency decreased over time. To enhance the mitigation efficiency, different cleaning methods (e.g., CO2 oversaturated solution, HCl, and NaCl flushing) were conducted with feed spacers. A CO2 saturated solution demonstrated high cleaning efficiency owing to the high turbulence induced by CO2 bubbles, whereas HCl flushing showed negligible efficiency. NaCl flushing exhibited the highest cleaning efficiency through mono/divalent ion-exchange effects on iron-gypsum scaling. This study provides comprehensive insights into iron-accelerated gypsum scaling mitigation strategies for nanofiltration membranes, highlighting the impact of coexisting ferric compounds on gypsum scaling.

Automated membrane characterization: In-situ monitoring of the permeate and retentate solutions using a 3D printed permeate probe device

Self-driving laboratories and automated experiments can accelerate the design workflow and decrease errors associated with experiments that characterize membrane transport properties. Within this study, we use 3D printing to design a custom stirred cell that incorporates inline conductivity probes in the retentate and permeate streams. The probes provide a complete trajectory of the salt concentrations as they evolve over the course of an experiment. Here, automated diafiltration experiments are used to characterize the performance of commercial NF90 and NF270 polyamide membranes over a predetermined range of KCl concentrations from 1 to 100 mM. The measurements obtained by the inline conductivity probes are validated using offline post-experiment analyses. Compared to traditional filtration experiments, the probes decrease the amount of time required for an experimentalist to characterize membrane materials by more than 50× and increase the amount of information generated by 100×. Device design principles to address the physical constraints associated with making conductivity measurements in confined volumes are proposed. Overall, the device developed within this study provides a foundation to establish high-throughput, automated membrane characterization techniques.

The performance of nanofiltration membranes in seawater and desalination brine applications: Saudi Water Authority experience

The process of dual brine concentration employs an NF-RO-MBC configuration as its fundamental setup. Understanding the ion rejection capabilities of NF in seawater is crucial within this framework. Testing of fourteen commercial NF membranes using Jubail seawater revealed variations in ion rejection capabilities. Twelve membranes operated at a consistent feed pressure of 17.7 bar. The results categorized membranes based on their TDS rejection into high (≥ 45 %), medium (25–45 %), and low (< 25 %) rejection membranes. When concentrating the NF-treated SWRO brine, NF membranes can be utilized in the MBC system. Eight commercial NF membranes were evaluated with SWRO brine, where Na and Cl constituted over 96 % of the TDS. The investigation assessed the concentration performance and secured solid quantity in the reject relative to the feed by applying pressures of up to 40 bar for the conventional NF membranes and up to 65 bar for the newly introduced HPNF membranes. Among these membranes, two conventional and two HPNF membranes exhibited promise for concentrating SWRO brine. In addition, the ion rejection performance of five commercial NF membranes on SWRO brine was examined for a potential RO-NF-MBC configuration, suggesting suitable NF membranes for SWRO brine separation. Lastly, the ion rejection performance was studied in a multistage NF system with varying feed compositions at each stage and compared with projected performance. The accumulated NF membrane performance database will be utilized to optimize the overall membrane system configuration for seawater and brine separation and concentration.

Testing of various membranes for removal of chemical oxygen demand in real fresh human urine using a cross-flow filtration system

ABSTRACT Urine is primarily composed of water (about 95%), with urea (around 2%), creatinine (approximately 0.1%), uric acid (about 0.03%), and various ions. Although human urine constitutes 1% of the volume of domestic wastewater, it contains significant amounts of chemical oxygen demand (COD) (∼10%). This study focused on the elimination of COD in urine using a cross-flow filtration system and testing the effectiveness of various membranes (microfiltration (MCE01), ultrafiltration (UP005 and UP010), and nanofiltration (NP010 and NF270)). The steady-state flux of the NF270 membrane increased from 10.8 to 23.9 L/m2/h as the pressure increased from 10 to 25 bar. A significant COD removal efficiency was obtained for the NF270 membrane at an operating pressure of 25 bar. COD concentration decreased from 7,392 to 1,270 mg/L with 82.8% rejection. In contrast, none of the membranes performed well in terms of urea removal efficiency. According to the findings, urea concentration decreased from 6,712 to 6,043 mg/L with 9.9% rejection. Moreover, ion contents (calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), ammonium (NH4+), phosphate (PO43−), sulfate (SO42−), and chloride (Cl−)) of the membrane permeates were also measured.

High permeance of polyamide nanofiltration membranes with porous organic polymers interlayers based on diazo coupling reaction

Nanofiltration (NF) membranes are widely used in many fields, including food, petrochemical and brackish water desalination. One of the challenges for preparing NF membranes is to make NF membranes with high both permeability and selectivity because of the “trade-off" effect. To weaken or break through the “trade-off" effect, the thin film composite (TFC) NF membranes with high permeability and selectivity were prepared by constructing porous organic polymers (POPs) interlayers via diazo coupling reaction in the wild condition. The effects of the monomers ratio used to prepare POPs interlayers on the separation performance of the as-prepared TFC NF membranes as well as on the surface characteristics of substrate and polyamide (PA) separation layer were investigated. Due to hydrogen bonding, the POPs interlayers with hydroxyl groups slow down the diffusion rate of PIP molecules, which changes the surface structure of the polyamide (PA) separation layer from the nodular structure to the folded structure that favors increased permeability. The pure water permeance of the optimal TFC-S4 membrane (47.5 ± 0.3 L m−2 h−1 bar−1) is 3.8 times higher than that of the commercial polyamide nanofiltration membrane NF270 (12.5 L m−2 h−1 bar−1). Na2SO4 rejection of the TFC-S4 membrane is 98.7 ± 0.1 %, which is greater than that of NF270 (96 %). This study provides ideas for future applications of POPs materials in NF membranes desalination.

Photosensitive and high temperature resistant polyamide composite nanofiltration membranes with high flux and stable retention

Currently, most commercial membranes are used at temperatures below 50 °C. For high temperature water treatment, nanofiltration membranes with good thermal stability are highly sought after. In order to construct a novel polyamide thin-film composite nanofiltration (TFC NF) membrane, Congo red (CR) as monomer was introduced to the aqueous phase and the chemical structure of the selective layer was changed. Next, a thorough investigation was conducted into the impacts of the piperazine (PIP) to CR ratio on the surface morphology, separation efficiency and chemical structure of the membranes. The TFC NF membrane prepared after parameter optimization exhibited high retention (Na2SO4, >98 %) and flux up to 30 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 at room temperature. Moreover, the Na2SO4 retention of the TFC NF membrane decreased by less than 1 % when used at 90 °C, demonstrating excellent heat resistance. Meanwhile, the incorporation of CR allowed the structure of the TFC NF membranes to be altered under UV irradiation conditions, which provided new insights into the optical modulation of the composite membrane properties. A promising and reproducible methodology for the development of high flux TFC NF membrane with thermal stability was offered, achieving a breakthrough in water treatment technology under high-temperature conditions.

Reconstructing Electrically Conductive Nanofiltration Membranes with an Aniline-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes Interlayer for Highly Effective Toxic Organic Treatment.

Conductive nanofiltration (CNF) membranes hold great promise for removing small organic pollutants from water through enhanced Donnan exclusion and electrocatalytic degradation. However, current CNF membranes face limitations in conductivity, structural stability, and nanochannel control strategies. This work addresses these challenges by introducing aniline-functionalized carbon nanotubes (NH2-CNTs) as an interlayer. NH2-CNTs enhance the dispersibility and adhesion of pristine carbon nanotubes, leading to a more conductive and stable composite nanofiltration membrane. The redesigned NH2-CNTs interlayered conductive nanofiltration (NICNF) membrane exhibits a 10-fold increase in conductivity and a high response degree (80%) with excellent cyclic stability, surpassing existing CNF membranes. The synergistic effects of enhanced Donnan exclusion, voltage switching, and electrocatalysis enable the NICNF membrane to achieve selective recovery of mixed dyes, 98.97% removal of residual wastewater toxicity, and a 5.2-fold increase in permeance compared to the commercial NF270 membrane. This research paves the way for next-generation multifunctional membranes capable of the efficient recovery and degradation of toxic organic pollutants in wastewater.

Energy cost prediction for chromium removal by nanofiltration membrane

Abstract This paper aims to investigate the energy cost of eliminating Cr(VI) by nanofiltration membranes (NF). The modified pore flow model was utilized to predict the performance of NF membrane in terms of ion retention and water productivity. Then, the energy cost was estimated according to the obtained results from this model as well as available data from literature. The effect of feed flow, applied pressure, and temperature on energy cost were highlighted and thoroughly assessed. It is shown that high retention values can be achieved with relatively high energy cost. Nonetheless, energy cost of 0.04 $/m3 have been estimated for Cr retention less than 95 % at a pressure of 5 bar. It is also assessed that feed flow has a significant influence on energy cost relative to other operating parameters. In particular, increasing feed flow from 40 to 760 L/h leading the energy cost to be increased by twelve times. At high feed flow, however, energy cost can be largely reduced by applying pressure higher than 10 bar. It is concluded that high feed temperature is favored if there is no need for heating equipment.

Direct recovery of high-purity lithium via nanofiltration membranes from leaching solution of spent lithium batteries

The recycling of spent ternary lithium batteries (T-LIBs) promises scarce strategic resource recovery, however, efficient and selective recovery of Li+ from T-LIBs leaching solution with complex components is still a considerable challenge. Herein, we present a polyamide nanofiltration membrane based on the positively charged nanoscale dispersion interlayer for the first application in recycling lithium from the leaching solution of spent T-LIBs. The electronegativity is weakened by positive charge within the interlayer, which enhance the effect of Donnan exclusion. The pos-TFNi membrane can effectively permeate Li+ while the interfering divalent ions are almost completely separated, achieving the high purity (separation factor ≥ 93.5) and high recovery rate (79.2%) of Li+ from leaching solution simultaneously, with a 6.2-fold improvement in the separation factor over the pristine TFC membrane, and outperformed the majority of the NF membranes. This work represents a reference for the recycling of the massive accumulation of spent T-LIBs worldwide.

Biomimetic interlayer brought unexpected enhancement in permeability and rejection of polyamide nanofiltration membrane

Construction of interlayer between porous substrate and polyamide (PA) layer has been proved to be an effective way in improving membrane separation performance by the regulation of membrane structure and chemical properties. In present study, biomimetic material—1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (DOPE) lipid bilayer was selected to serve as the interlayer prepared by suction filtration due to its unique advantages such as smooth, continuous, uniform and hydrophilic surface. The results showed that DOPE interlayer effectively lowered the diffusion rate of piperazine (PIP) from membrane surface to organic phase and thus contributing to the thinner and smoother PA layer. The permeability of the interlayer-based PA membrane reached 35.9 L/m2·h·bar, which was 190 % higher than pure PA NF membranes. More important, the interlayer-based PA membrane exhibited excellent Na2SO4 rejection about 99.8 % accompanied by a good separation selectivity between univalent and bivalent ions. Besides, the interlayer-based PA membrane possessed good stability to the changes of operating pressure, concentration and pH of feed solution, and the long-term NF test. Meanwhile, it performed well in removing NTU, TOC, Mg2+ and SO42− in the treatment of surface water and showed its potential in the practical application. In all, the present work brought new interlayer material in fabricating high-performance NF membrane.

Dehydration-modulated pomelo peel cellulose nanofiber interlayer customized polyamide membrane with highly uniform pores for efficient nanofiltration

The development of high-performance polyamide nanofiltration (PA NF) membranes by introducing interlayers holds promise for efficient desalination. In this study, a novel PA NF membrane was prepared by incorporating the special biomass interlayer, which consisted of dehydration-modulated pomelo peel cellulose nanofiber (PCNF). Due to the removal of water, the proportion of exposed oxygen-containing functional groups within the PCNF interlayer increased significantly, and thus the diffusion of piperazine (PIP) could be slowed down effectively. Consequently, the diffusion-restricted PIP was enriched and anchored by PCNF and formed a PA layer with a unique layered structure in the interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction. The surface PA layer with lower a cross-linking degree could optimize water transport pathways and improve membrane permeability (28.67 LMH/bar). Meanwhile, the bottom PA layer, which was closely interspersed with PCNF, reduced pore size of the membrane and enhanced the rejection of Na2SO4 (98.63%). This study reveals a low-cost and eco-friendly strategy for preparing effective biomass interlayers, which provides a feasible approach for designing high-performance NF membranes.

Development of conductive two-dimensional metal-organic frameworks self-cleaning membrane for enhanced antibiotics rejection and sustainable fouling mitigation

In this study, a novel electroactive NF membrane was constructed for ultrafast rejection of antibiotics with high selectivity and self-cleaning by incorporating a conductive two dimensional metal-organic frameworks (Cu-HHTP) into porous polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) matrix with facile and scalable non-solvent induced phase inversion strategy. Cu-HHTP membrane showed two orders of magnitude higher permeability (198.4 L m−2 h−1·bar−1) than the commercial and most reported NF membranes without sacrificing rejection toward negatively charged tetracycline (95.4 %), positively charged vancomycin (99.9 %) and neutrally charged valinomycin (99.9 %). Interestingly, loading Cu-HHTP with hydrophilic and porous nature can break the permeability-rejection trade-off effect and the mechanism was due to the improved water channel and pollutants sieving. Furthermore, it has stable antibiotics rejection and high flux recovery rate of 93.9 % for long-term filtration of wastewater over 264 h with low energy consumption of 0.1007 W h/L and without adding chemical cleaning agents, which demonstrated its excellent fouling control and stability. This study may guide the development of advanced self-cleaning NF membranes tailored for removal of small molecular emerging contaminants.

Rejection of PFAS and priority co-contaminants in semiconductor fabrication wastewater by nanofiltration membranes

Use of high-pressure membranes is an effective means for removal of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that is less sensitive than adsorption processes to variable water quality and specific PFAS structure. This study evaluated the use of nanofiltration (NF) membranes for the removal of PFAS and industry relevant co-contaminants in semiconductor fabrication (fab) wastewater. Initial experiments using a flat sheet filtration cell determined that the NF90 (tight NF) membrane provided superior performance compared to the NF270 (loose NF) membrane, with NF90 rejection values exceeding 97 % for all PFAS evaluated, including the ultrashort trifluoromethane sulfonic acid (TFMS). Cationic fab co-contaminants diaryliodonium (DIA), triphenylsulfonium (TPS), and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH) were not as highly rejected as anionic PFAS likely due to electrostatic effects. A spiral wound NF90 module was then used in a pilot system to treat a lab solution containing PFAS and co-contaminants and fab wastewater effluent. Treatment of the fab wastewater, containing high concentrations of perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs), including trifluoroacetic acid (TFA: 96,413 ng/L), perfluoropropanoic acid (PFPrA: 11,796 ng/L), and perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA: 504 ng/L), resulted in ≥92 % rejection of all PFAS while achieving 90 % water recovery in a semi-batch configuration. These findings demonstrate nanofiltration as a promising technology option for incorporation in treatment trains targeting PFAS removal from wastewater matrices.

Application of Low-Pressure Nanofiltration Membranes NF90 and NTR-729HF for Treating Diverse Wastewater Streams for Irrigation Use

The application of low-pressure nanofiltration (NF) was investigated for three different applications: water reuse from acid mine drainage (AMD), surface water containing natural organic matter (NOM) and agricultural reuse of microfiltered biologically treated sewage effluent (MF-BTSE). AMD contains many valuable rare earth elements (REEs) and copper (Cu) that can be recovered with fresh water. The NF90 membrane was investigated for recovery of fresh water from synthetic AMD. A steady permeate flux of 15.5 ± 0.2 L/m2h was achieved for pretreated AMD with over 98% solute rejection. NF90 achieved a high dissolved organic carbon (DOC) rejection of 95% from surface water containing NOM where 80% of the organic fraction was hydrophilic, mainly humics. The NF process maintained a high permeate flux of 52 LMH at 4 bars. The MF-BTSE was treated by NTR-729HF for agricultural reuse. NTR-729HF membranes were capable of rejecting DOC and inorganics such as sulfates and divalent ions (SO42−, Ca2+ and Mg2+) from MF-BTSE, with less than 20% rejection of monovalent (Na+ and Cl−) ions. The sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) was significantly reduced from 39 to 14 after treatment through NTR-729HF at 4 bar. The resulting water was found to be suitable to irrigate salt-sensitive crops.

Preparation of thin-film nanocomposite membrane with the addition of cysteine-modified MoS2 to enhance nanofiltration performance

Novel thin-film nanocomposite nanofiltration ((TFN)-NF) membrane was successfully fabricated by adding MoS2 functionalized with cysteine in a polysulfone (PSf) layer and the active layer to enhance separation performance in water and alcohol. A novel TFN-NF membrane was prepared through interfacial polymerization (IP), which reacts with an aqueous DETA solution containing MoS2-cys and a TMC organic solution onto the PSF/MoS2-cys support layer. A PSf support layer was incorporated with MoS2-cys, which enhanced the membrane permeability due to increasing porosity and hydrophilicity. Furthermore, MoS2 is essential in forming thin films and Turing structures of the NF membrane, resulting in enhanced permeability for water and alcohol. The prepared TFN-NF membrane has shown a notable permeability of 7.9 LMH/bar and a rejection rate of 99% for MgSO4. It also demonstrated excellent fouling resistance after three chemical cleaning cycles and long-term running. The TFN-NF membrane with MoS2 showed improved permeability for water and alcohol solvents, such as methanol and ethanol, of 5.5, 1.2, and 0.48 LMH/bar, respectively. This work would present a valuable strategy for preparing a TFN-NF membrane to retrieve alcohol solvents.

Plasma-aerosol-assisted interface engineering of nanofiltration membranes to improve removal of organic pollutants from water

Membrane surface functionalization has shown great potential in improving the removal of organic pollutants from water by nanofiltration (NF). However, conventional surface modification methods rely on hazardous chemical solutions and produce large amounts of wastewater, which is contrary to the original purpose of wastewater remediation and the current high demand for environmental sustainability. Herein, we demonstrate a solvent-free and scalable method enabled by an emerging aerosol-assisted plasma deposition process for surface functionalization of NF membranes to improve the removal of organic pollutants from water. We first investigate the physicochemical properties of the aerosol-assisted plasma deposited (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (AAPD-APTES) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (AAPD-HEMA) coatings on commercial NF270 membranes by different surface characterization techniques. Then, we examine the associated membranes’ performance in removing conventional organic pollutants (phenol) and emerging micropollutants (diuron). Compared to the untreated NF270 membranes (2.9% for phenol and 22.0% for diuron), AAPD-APTES-modified NF270 membranes have the highest rejection efficiency towards both phenol (68.5%) and diuron (49.1%), whereas AAPD-HEMA coated membranes show good selectivity behavior with a high rejection efficiency for diuron (43.6%) but a relatively low efficiency for phenol (6.2%). Both plasma polymer-coated membranes are effective in removing organic contaminants mainly due to the plasma-produced dense surface coatings. Overall, this study offers a comprehensive eco-friendly and scalable strategy for NF membrane surface functionalization, which can not only improve the NF performance in wastewater remediation but also reduce the production of wastewater in the surface functionalization process.

Ultra-permeable thin-film nanocomposite membrane with an asymmetric structure harvested by a heterogeneous interlayer for brackish water desalination

Constructing interlayers has proven highly efficacious in augmenting the performance of polyamide (PA) NF membranes. However, the fabrication of highly-permeable interlayered RO membranes poses significant challenges. In this work, we propose a hydrophilic-hydrophobic heterogeneous interlayer strategy to fabricate an ultra-permeable thin-film nanocomposite membrane with asymmetric two-layered structures (a-TFN). This membrane comprises a dense PA upper layer doped with ordered ZIF-8 nanocrystals and a porous dendrimer lower layer. The heterogeneous interlayer, characterized by nonuniform wettability, is more supportive of the eruption and diffusion of MPD monomers compared to a hydrophilic interlayer, beneficial to the formation of a highly cross-linked PA layer replete with nanovoids. Additionally, the in-situ encapsulation of ZIF-8 nanocrystals within the dense PA layer provide additional transport channels, while the dendrimer layer serves as a gutter layer, collectively enhancing water transport. The resulting a-TFN membrane exhibits an unprecedented water permeance (8.67 ± 0.13 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1), outperforming state-of-the-art commercial and advanced structural RO membranes, while maintaining competitive NaCl rejection (98.1 ± 0.19 %). Furthermore, it demonstrates exceptional structural durability, resistance to compaction, and antifouling performance. This study provides valuable insights for the design of interlayered RO membranes with enhanced performance.

Treatment of highly iron-contaminated brackish groundwater by MF, UF, and NF membranes for potable water resource production: influence of operating parameters, comparative study, membrane fouling, and machine learning modeling

ABSTRACT The present investigation focuses on using commercially available MF, UF, and NF membranes to eliminate Fe from real groundwater. The impact of process parameters, including applied pressure, temperature, pH, time, and concentration, on flux and Fe removal% is investigated. Results of the permeation test confirm higher permeability for MF membranes (214.71 L/m2.h.bar) than that for NF (2.708 L/m2.h.bar) and UF (56.52 L/m2.h.bar) membranes. The FESEM-EDS characterization confirms the deposition of dominant foulant Fe particles over the membrane surface. At 2 bar applied pressure (temperature = 30 °C, pH = 6.13, and concentration = 6.62 ppm), MF, UF, and NF can eliminate 93.5, 90.2, and 100% Fe, respectively. However, UF and NF exhibit much lower fluxes (72.43 and 3.85 L/m2.h, respectively) compared to MF (317.13 L/m2.h) at the same process conditions. NF eliminates 100% Fe from start to end with rising pressure, while MF (62.16–100) and UF (87.09–100) show gradually improved removal rates. Above pH 6, all membranes demonstrate higher Fe rejection because the oxidation rate of ferrous iron increases at a high pH. With increasing concentration (6–500 ppm), Fe removal efficiency increases for NF (88.26–94.18%) but decreases for both MF (89.63–23.64%) and UF (27.66–14.4%). To validate experimental findings, five machine learning (ML) regression models are scrutinized using various statistical measures.