Production of Polymeric Membranes Based on Activated Carbons for Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

Comprising advanced materials like polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for mechanical stability and biofouling prevention and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) for hydrophilicity, membranes enable selective filtration, retaining larger particles and external contaminants in wastewater treatment. Incorporating activated carbon during manufacturing is a strategic approach to enhance membrane (AC-CO2 membrane) properties, leveraging its high surface area and adsorption capacity. This study produced mixed polymeric membranes by combining PVDF, PVP, and activated carbon (AC-CO2), using N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) as the solvent. These membranes were employed for the filtration of phenolic compounds, particularly phenol. In an AC-CO2 membrane formulation with 1.3 g of PVP, 1.15 g of PVDF, 8.8 mL of NMP, and 2.5 g of AC-CO2, with thickness variations of 150 µm and 300 µm, approximately 56.77% and 90.35% of 50 mg/L of phenol in model wastewater were removed within 5 min, respectively, with breakthrough occurring at 15 min. Finally, this study developed a hydrophilic membrane with alkaline characteristics and a neutral pH point of zero charge (pHPZC), establishing the feasibility of employing these membranes to treat model wastewater containing phenolic compounds. The prospect of scaling up for practical applications presents a promising avenue for future investigations.

Keywords

• polymeric membrane
• activated carbon
• industrial wastewater treatment
• phenolic compounds