Fabrication of Mixed Matrix Membranes and their Performance Evaluation for Elimination of Metals from Industrial Waste Water

Abstract

Water is the vital source of life which is being contaminated by industrialization. Industrial wastewater contains large number of pollutants which have very toxic effects on human-beings and ecosystem, therefore it is very necessary to remove these pollutants from industrial wastewater prior to their discharge in freshwater sources. In this groundbreaking study, using zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) embedded in mixed matrix membranes (MMMs), we have created a novel method for purifying water. MOF, which is a highly porous and crystalline material, was modified with mercaptosuccinic acid to increase its hydrophilicity and enhance its ability to remove pollutants from water. This modification helped in increasing the water adsorption capacity of the MOF. The modified MOF was subsequently used to create MMMs with various loadings (0.25wt%, 0.5wt%, 0.75wt%, 1wt%, 1.5wt %) by embedding it in a polyether sulfone (PES) matrix. The influence of the embedded MOF on the morphology and functionality of the manufactured membranes was examined in terms of pure water flux, salts and dyes removal, and antifouling characteristics. The produced MOF and subsequent membranes were characterized using the following techniques: FTIR, TGA, BET, SEM, EDX, and XRD. The 0.75wt% membranes delivered exceptional water permeability of 161.71 L.m-2.h-1bar-1 and salts rejection of 80% and 74% for MgSO4 and NaCl, respectively. Dye rejection was also highly imp