Halloysite nanoclay doped ceramic membrane fabrication and evaluation of textile wastewater treatment performance

In this study, halloysite nanoclay-doped ultrafiltration and tight-ultrafiltration ceramic membranes were fabricated by sequential layer deposition using relatively low temperatures. The produced membranes were structurally characterized by contact angle tests and a scanning electron microscope. The pure water flux and bovine serum albumin removal were also examined, in order to determine the performance of the membranes. Finally, 3 different real wastewater treatability tests were carried out and the change in membrane performance was observed by using hot textile wastewater. In the coated membranes, the pure water flux decreased from 2000 L/(m2.h) to 100 L/(m2.h) for the ultrafiltration membrane and from about 370 L/(m2.h) to 23 L/(m2.h) for the tight-ultrafiltration membrane. In the bovine serum albumin removal efficiency test, approximately 30 % removal was obtained for the ultrafiltration membrane and 100 % for the tight-ultrafiltration membrane. In real wastewater filtration tests performed with the tightultrafiltration membrane, the average removal efficiency of approximately 40 % and above 44 % was obtained for chemical oxygen demand and total organic carbon and color removal, respectively. Finally, in the hot water test, it was observed that the permeate flux increased approximately 3 times, but there was no significant decrease in the treatment efficiency. (c) 2021 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study focused on the fabrication of halloysite nanoclay-doped ultrafiltration and tight-ultrafiltration ceramic membranes using sequential layer deposition at relatively low temperatures. The membranes were structurally characterized, and their performance in terms of pure water flux, protein removal efficiency, and real wastewater treatability was evaluated. Results showed that the membrane performance was impacted by temperature, but overall exhibited efficient wastewater treatment capabilities.