Development of cellulose acetate/metal-organic framework derived porous carbon adsorptive membrane for dye removal applications

In this work, metal-organic framework derived porous carbon (MOFDPC) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and incorporated into cellulose acetate (CA) polymeric matrix to prepare biodegradable CA/MOFDPC adsorptive membranes via phase inversion method. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as pore former agent. Performance of the prepared membranes was evaluated in methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution via continuous adsorption experiments. The physicochemical properties of the fabricated membranes were characterized by contact angle measurement, SEM, FTIR, AFM, TGA and tensile strength analysis. At first, the effects of PEG concentration and MOFDPC NPs loading were investigated. It was found that the best performance is obtained for the prepared membrane containing 15 wt% PEG and 2 wt% of MOFDPC NPs as the optimal adsorptive membrane. Then, the effects of solution pH, initial MB concentration and operating pressure on the MB removal capability of the prepared optimal adsorptive membrane were investigated. Reusability of the optimal adsorptive membrane was studied via subsequent adsorption/desorption cycles. Its long-term behavior was also studied. The obtained results showed that the prepared biodegradable CA/MOFDPC adsorptive membrane with MB removal percentage of 98.2% and permeate flux of 76.03 LMH and excellent reusability and long-term behavior can be potentially utilized for wastewater treatment applications especially MB removal.

Automated summary

Metal-organic framework derived porous carbon nanoparticles were synthesized and incorporated into cellulose acetate polymeric matrix to prepare biodegradable CA/MOFDPC adsorptive membranes, which showed excellent performance in methylene blue removal. The optimal adsorptive membrane containing specific amounts of PEG and MOFDPC NPs was identified, and the effects of various factors on its MB removal capability were investigated. The biodegradable CA/MOFDPC adsorptive membrane exhibited high MB removal percentage, permeate flux, reusability, and long-term behavior, making it potentially useful for wastewater treatment applications, especially in MB removal.