Nanofiber composite ultrafiltration membrane functionalized with cross-linked β-cyclodextrin for steroid hormone micropollutant removal

Steroid hormone (SH) micropollutants are not efficiently removed with conventional membrane processes. Cy-clodextrins are macrocyclic molecules widely applied in water treatment for the removal of these micro -pollutants. In this study, a composite nanofiber membrane (CNM) containing cross-linked beta-cyclodextrin-epichlorohydrin (beta CDP) was prepared by electrospinning the functionalized nanofibers onto an ultrafiltration membrane support.The CNM membrane was evaluated for SH removal in both static adsorption and during filtration. A removal of 80 % was reached in static condition with a beta CDP loading of 2.5 ng/cm2. During filtration, the hydraulic residence time, SH concentration and nanofiber matrix thickness limited SH removal and uptake. The highest removal of 76 % and uptake of 9.5 ng/cm2 were achieved with a nanofiber matrix thickness of 442 mu m. Mo-lecular dynamic simulation revealed that SH type affected the beta CDP interaction and inclusion complex forma-tion, the strongest interaction occurred with progesterone and the lowest with testosterone. This was consistent with experimental data.Overall, the results are promising for the application of this functionalized membrane for SH removal due to the high adsorption capacity and the ability to form a specific inclusion complex interaction with the SH molecules.

Automated summary

In this study, a composite nanofiber membrane containing cross-linked beta-cyclodextrin-epichlorohydrin was prepared and evaluated for the removal of steroid hormones. The results showed that the membrane had high adsorption capacity and the ability to form a specific inclusion complex interaction with the hormones, indicating its potential application in hormone removal.