Polysulfone nanofiltration membranes enriched with functionalized graphene oxide for dye removal from wastewater

Ahmed E. Abdelhamid, Ahmed A. El-Sayed, Ahmed M. Khalil
2020 Journal of polymer engineering  
AbstractComposite-nanofiltration membranes based on polysulfone (PSU) and functionalized graphene oxide (f-GO) were prepared for dye removal from aqueous media. Graphene oxide (GO) was introduced to enhance the performance of these membranes. GO was functionalized using an aminated heterocyclic compound, namely 6-amino-4-(4-nitrophenyl)-3-methyl-4-phenyl-4,7-dihydro-1H-pyrazolo-[3,4-b]pyridine-5carbonitrile. The f-GO was incorporated into the PSU membrane matrix in different weight ratios
more » ... 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 wt %). Characterizing the produced membranes with scanning electron microscope, Fourier Transform Infrared - Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and X-ray diffraction indicated the well dispersion of f-GO in the membrane matrix. The obtained membranes were applied to remove Congo red and methylene blue, as typical anionic and cationic dyes respectively from water. The modified membranes showed superior efficiency in terms of water flux and dye rejection upon being compared with the control membrane. The composite membranes loaded with f-GO exhibited promising dye removal efficiency for both dyes.
doi:10.1515/polyeng-2020-0141 fatcat:tzhixpzyandbvg4whsbf4scmf4