Nanomembranes Boost Efficiency in Wastewater Treatment | WPN World People News

The exit water of the nanomembrane is at the level of healthy water, and the pores of the membrane are blocked later than usual.

The researchers produced nanofiltration membranes that are able to purify wastewater at one stage to the level of healthy water. One of the main problems in nanofiltration membranes is the blocking of their pores, which decreases the efficiency of the membranes during the process. This research tries to overcome this problem by separation the phases, and by using iron magnetic nanoparticles modified with chitosan.

The membranes produced in this research have very higher flux but lower blocking in comparison with commercial membranes. In addition, it has higher efficiency in the elimination of pollutants. The use of these membranes in purification process in industry significantly decreases the operation cost because they do not need to be quickly replaced.

The country's textile industry produced large amount of dye pollutants that cannot be eliminated through the normal purification methods. However, the produced membranes are able to fully eliminate these dyes. Therefore and by executing this plan at pilot scale, healthy water can be produced from wastewater, especially dye wastewater.

Chitosan coated on magnetic nanoparticles has been used in this research to produce a more hydrophilic membrane with smoother surface. These characteristics reduce the blocking of the membrane during the process.

source: Nanotechnology Now