High-performance nanofiltration membranes consisting of the new functionalized mesoporous for enhanced antifouling attributes and simultaneous removal of salts, dyes and heavy metals

Abstract For the first time, the tetrathioterephthalate functionalized KIT-6 (T-KIT-6) mesoporous was synthesized and then characterized using FTIR, XRD, zeta potential, and FESEM analysis. The synthesized T-KIT-6 mesoporous was used to prepare a novel nanofiltration (NF) membrane for the removal of dyes, salts, and heavy metal ions from contaminated waters. The effects of T-KIT-6 mesoporous loading on the membrane morphology, properties, and proficiency were studied by FTIR, EDS, TGA, FESEM, AFM, water contact angle and zeta potential measurements, etc. The performance of the prepared membranes was investigated by milk solution filtration experiments. The maximum pure water flux was 45.2 kg/m2h for the membrane containing 0.3 wt% T-KIT-6 mesoporous (TKM-0.3), which was much higher than that of the membrane without mesoporous. Moreover, the TKM-0.3 membrane featured effectual antifouling properties with a low irreversible fouling ratio of 4.8% and a high flux recovery ratio of 95.2%, accompanied by long-term stability. All membranes showed the highest rejection for Na2SO4 and the lowest rejection for NaCl, which was in good accordance with the rejection sequence of the negatively charged NF membranes. The TKM-0.3 membrane also showed the highest dye rejections (˃ 98%) and superior removal of heavy metal ions (Mn 2 + = 98 . 21 % , Cu 2 + = 97 . 52 % , Ni 2 + = 95 . 00 % , Pb 2 + = 93 . 43 % ). Regarding the good performance in multipollutant removal and long-term stability for heavy metal removal, this study describes the fabrication of antifouling NF membrane as an economic and efficient technology for wastewater treatment.