Charged modified tight ceramic ultrafiltration membranes for treatment of cationic dye wastewater

Abstract Tight ceramic ultrafiltration membranes have been proven to exhibit good rejection performance for reactive dye wastewater at high temperatures because of their high thermal and chemical resistance. However, the application of ceramic membranes for the treatment of cationic dye wastewater is challenging because of their surface charge. In this study, a ceramic membrane is modified by grafting aminosilane (KH-551) to enhance the positive charge of the membrane surface. The rejection performance of the charged modified ceramic membrane toward the methylene blue solution is significantly improved. The modification substance is bonded to the ceramic membrane surface via covalent bonding, which imparts good thermal stability. The modified ceramic membrane exhibits stable separation performance toward the methylene blue solution. Overall, this study provides valuable guidance for the adjustment of the ceramic membrane surface charge for treating industrial cationic dye wastewater.