Issue 24, 2021

Combined nanofiltration and advanced oxidation processes with bifunctional carbon nanomembranes

Abstract

Wastewater reclamation is becoming a top global interest as population growth and rapid industrialization pose a major challenge that requires development of sustainable cost-effective technologies and strategies for wastewater treatment. Carbon nanomembranes (CNMs)—synthetic 2D carbon sheets—can be tailored chemically with specific surface functions and/or physically with nanopores of well-defined size as a strategy for multifunctional membrane design. Here, we explore a bifunctional design for combined secondary wastewater effluent treatment with dual action of membrane separation and advanced oxidation processes (AOP), exploiting dissolved oxygen. The bifunctional membrane consists of a CNM layer on top of a commercial ultrafiltration membrane (Microlon™) and a spray-coated reduced graphene oxide (rGO) thin film as the bottom layer. The CNM/support/rGO membrane was characterized by helium ion and atomic force microscopy, FTIR, XPS with a four-point conductivity probe, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic measurements, and impedance spectroscopy. Combined treatment of water by nanofiltration and AOP was demonstrated, employing a unique three electrode-dead end filtration setup that enables concurrent application of potential and pressure on the integrated membrane. For the model organic compound methylene blue, oxidation (by the Fenton reaction) was evaluated using UV-vis (610 nm). The rejection rate and permeability provided by the CNM layer were evaluated by dissolving polyethylene glycol (400 and 1000 Da) in the feed solution and applying pressure up to 1.5 bar. This demonstration of combined membrane separation and AOP using an integrated membrane opens up a new strategy for wastewater treatment.

Graphical abstract: Combined nanofiltration and advanced oxidation processes with bifunctional carbon nanomembranes

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Feb 2021
Accepted
05 Apr 2021
First published
23 Apr 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

RSC Adv., 2021,11, 14777-14786

Combined nanofiltration and advanced oxidation processes with bifunctional carbon nanomembranes

B. Shapira, T. R. Penki, I. Cohen, Y. Elias, R. Dalpke, A. Beyer, A. Gölzhäuser, E. Avraham and D. Aurbach, RSC Adv., 2021, 11, 14777 DOI: 10.1039/D1RA01098K

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements