Removal of phenol and phosphoric acid from wastewater by microfiltration carbon membranes

Microfiltration carbon membranes were developed to cope with the wastewater containing phenol and phosphoric acid. The structure of carbon membranes was characterized by scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffraction, bubble pressure method and specific surface area analysis. The separation efficiency of carbon membranes was investigated by varying the operation factors, including feed concentration, running time, and pressure. Results have shown that the carbon membranes are abundant in porous structure with the porosity of 42%, along with a narrow pore size distribution centering at 0.18 mu m. Within the scope of the study, the highest removal rates reach to 81.9% for phenol and 55.3% for phosphoric acid from wastewater, respectively.