Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater
Although ultrafiltration is a reliable method for separating oily wastewater, the process is limited by problems of low flux and membrane fouling. In this study, for the first time, commercial TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub> ceramic membranes modified with silver-functionaliz...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-02-01
|
| Series: | Membranes |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/2/176 |
| _version_ | 1827756495961325568 |
|---|---|
| author | Amos Avornyo Arumugham Thanigaivelan Rambabu Krishnamoorthy Shadi W. Hassan Fawzi Banat |
| author_facet | Amos Avornyo Arumugham Thanigaivelan Rambabu Krishnamoorthy Shadi W. Hassan Fawzi Banat |
| author_sort | Amos Avornyo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although ultrafiltration is a reliable method for separating oily wastewater, the process is limited by problems of low flux and membrane fouling. In this study, for the first time, commercial TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub> ceramic membranes modified with silver-functionalized copper oxide (Ag-CuO) nanoparticles are reported for the improved separation performance of emulsified oil. Ag-CuO nanoparticles were synthesized via hydrothermal technique and dip-coated onto commercial membranes at varying concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 wt.%). The prepared membranes were further examined to understand the improvements in oil-water separation due to Ag-CuO coating. All modified ceramic membranes exhibited higher hydrophilicity and decreased porosity. Additionally, the permeate flux, oil rejection, and antifouling performance of the Ag-CuO-coated membranes were more significantly improved than the pristine commercial membrane. The 0.5 wt.% modified membrane exhibited a 30% higher water flux (303.63 L m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup>) and better oil rejection efficiency (97.8%) for oil/water separation among the modified membranes. After several separation cycles, the 0.5 wt.% Ag-CuO-modified membranes showed a constant permeate flux with an excellent oil rejection of >95% compared with the unmodified membrane. Moreover, the corrosion resistance of the coated membrane against acid, alkali, actual seawater, and oily wastewater was remarkable. Thus, the Ag-CuO-modified ceramic membranes are promising for oil separation applications due to their high flux, enhanced oil rejection, better antifouling characteristics, and good stability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:26:09Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-514af9eb30e342308917a477c2715f40 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-0375 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:26:09Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Membranes |
| spelling | doaj.art-514af9eb30e342308917a477c2715f402023-11-16T22:02:23ZengMDPI AGMembranes2077-03752023-02-0113217610.3390/membranes13020176Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily WastewaterAmos Avornyo0Arumugham Thanigaivelan1Rambabu Krishnamoorthy2Shadi W. Hassan3Fawzi Banat4Department of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab EmiratesDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi 127788, United Arab EmiratesAlthough ultrafiltration is a reliable method for separating oily wastewater, the process is limited by problems of low flux and membrane fouling. In this study, for the first time, commercial TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub> ceramic membranes modified with silver-functionalized copper oxide (Ag-CuO) nanoparticles are reported for the improved separation performance of emulsified oil. Ag-CuO nanoparticles were synthesized via hydrothermal technique and dip-coated onto commercial membranes at varying concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 wt.%). The prepared membranes were further examined to understand the improvements in oil-water separation due to Ag-CuO coating. All modified ceramic membranes exhibited higher hydrophilicity and decreased porosity. Additionally, the permeate flux, oil rejection, and antifouling performance of the Ag-CuO-coated membranes were more significantly improved than the pristine commercial membrane. The 0.5 wt.% modified membrane exhibited a 30% higher water flux (303.63 L m<sup>−2</sup> h<sup>−1</sup>) and better oil rejection efficiency (97.8%) for oil/water separation among the modified membranes. After several separation cycles, the 0.5 wt.% Ag-CuO-modified membranes showed a constant permeate flux with an excellent oil rejection of >95% compared with the unmodified membrane. Moreover, the corrosion resistance of the coated membrane against acid, alkali, actual seawater, and oily wastewater was remarkable. Thus, the Ag-CuO-modified ceramic membranes are promising for oil separation applications due to their high flux, enhanced oil rejection, better antifouling characteristics, and good stability.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/2/176ceramic membranesTiO<sub>2</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub>membrane coatingnanocompositesoil/water separation |
| spellingShingle | Amos Avornyo Arumugham Thanigaivelan Rambabu Krishnamoorthy Shadi W. Hassan Fawzi Banat Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater Membranes ceramic membranes TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub> membrane coating nanocomposites oil/water separation |
| title | Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater |
| title_full | Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater |
| title_fullStr | Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater |
| title_short | Ag-CuO-Decorated Ceramic Membranes for Effective Treatment of Oily Wastewater |
| title_sort | ag cuo decorated ceramic membranes for effective treatment of oily wastewater |
| topic | ceramic membranes TiO<sub>2</sub>/ZrO<sub>2</sub> membrane coating nanocomposites oil/water separation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0375/13/2/176 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amosavornyo agcuodecoratedceramicmembranesforeffectivetreatmentofoilywastewater AT arumughamthanigaivelan agcuodecoratedceramicmembranesforeffectivetreatmentofoilywastewater AT rambabukrishnamoorthy agcuodecoratedceramicmembranesforeffectivetreatmentofoilywastewater AT shadiwhassan agcuodecoratedceramicmembranesforeffectivetreatmentofoilywastewater AT fawzibanat agcuodecoratedceramicmembranesforeffectivetreatmentofoilywastewater |