Adsorption removal of tetracycline from water using poly(vinylidene fluoride)/polyaniline-montmorillonite mixed matrix membranes

In this study, the porous poly(vinylidene fluoride)/polyaniline-montmorillonite mixed matrix membranes (noted as the PVDF/PANI/MT membrane) were prepared using a non-solvent induced phase inversion method. The amounts of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), polyaniline (PANI), and montmorillonite (MT) were adjusted such that the synthesized membrane presented appropriate sponge-like structure. Results revealed that the PVDF/PANI/MT membrane with 20.0 wt% PVDF, 3.3 wt% PVP, 5.0 wt% PANI, and 12.0 wt% MT in the solvent N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone achieved the highest removal of antibiotic tetracycline (TC) from water. The adsorption isotherms of TC on the prepared membranes were well fitted by the Langmuir equation, which yielded an adsorption capacity of TC of 51.0 mg/g at 25 degrees C and pH 6.0 on the PVDF/PANI/MT membrane. Using 0.05 mol/L of NaOH solution, the used PVDF/PANI/MT membrane could be regenerated up to 81%. The reusability of the prepared mixed matrix membrane was also examined and the cross-flow filtration-adsorption tests were finally conducted to evaluate the feasibility of the membranes for continuous operation. (C) 2020 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.