Development of polyethersulfone/polylactic acid-blended nanocellulose membranes for enhanced removal of methylene blue dye
Senelisile Moyo
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorOranso T. Mahlangu
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Methodology (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorGcina D. Vilakati
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Eswatini, Kwaluseni, Kingdom of Eswatini
Contribution: Methodology (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorBhekie B. Mamba
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (lead), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorLueta A. De Kock
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorNozipho N. Gumbi
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Funding acquisition (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Edward N. Nxumalo
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Correspondence
Edward N. Nxumalo, Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, University of South Africa, Florida 1709, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Email: [email protected]
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Funding acquisition (lead), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (lead), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting)
Search for more papers by this authorSenelisile Moyo
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorOranso T. Mahlangu
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Methodology (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorGcina D. Vilakati
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Eswatini, Kwaluseni, Kingdom of Eswatini
Contribution: Methodology (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorBhekie B. Mamba
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (lead), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorLueta A. De Kock
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorNozipho N. Gumbi
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Funding acquisition (equal), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (equal), Writing - original draft (equal), Writing - review & editing (equal)
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Edward N. Nxumalo
Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Correspondence
Edward N. Nxumalo, Institute for Nanotechnology and Water Sustainability, University of South Africa, Florida 1709, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Email: [email protected]
Contribution: Conceptualization (equal), Funding acquisition (lead), Investigation (equal), Methodology (equal), Project administration (equal), Supervision (lead), Writing - original draft (supporting), Writing - review & editing (supporting)
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Herein, adsorptive polyethersulfone/polylactic acid (PES/PLA) blends membranes with systematic concentrations of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) (0.5–2.5 wt%) were developed via a modified phase inversion process for the enhanced removal of cationic methylene blue (MB) dye. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such adsorptive membranes have been produced for potential use in wastewater treatment. The fabricated membranes were characterized for surface and cross-sectional morphology (scanning electron microscope), surface roughness (atomic force microscope), functionality (Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy), thermal stability (thermal gravimetric analysis), wettability (contact angle measurements), antifouling behavior (flux recovery studies), and dye adsorption and reusability (adsorption and desorption tests). CNF incorporated membranes showed improved wetting properties, with contact angle decreasing from 76° in the pristine membranes to 48° in 2.5 wt% PES/PLA membranes. The membrane bulk porosity increased from 60.3% to 79.23%, while the pure water flux increased from 210.8 to 399.12 Lm−2 h−1. At optimal conditions, CNF-modified membranes removed >98% of MB compared with 8% removal by the pristine membranes. After five cycles of adsorption and desorption, the membrane with 2 wt% CNFs achieved over 70% dye removal showing excellent reusability properties. Adsorption followed pseudo-second-order and Freundlich models. The adsorption was attributed to electrostatic interactions between the negatively charged membrane surfaces and the positively charged dye molecules as well as through hydrogen bonding. Therefore, this work revealed that CNF-modified PES/PLA membranes can be used as adsorbents for the enhanced removal of organic pollutants in water treatment applications.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The data that supports the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| app54997-sup-0001-supinfo.docxWord 2007 document , 2.6 MB | Data S1. Supporting Information. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
REFERENCES
- 1R. P. Schwarzenbach, T. Egli, T. B. Hofstetter, U. Von Gunten, B. Wehrli, Annu. Rev. Environ. Resour. 2010, 35, 109.
- 2A. Das, A. Dey, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2020, 8, 103830.
- 3S. K. Chapagain, G. Mohan, A. B. Rimba, C. Payus, I. M. Sudarma, K. Fukushi, Sustainable Environ. Res. 2022, 32, 1.
10.1186/s42834-021-00115-6 Google Scholar
- 4O. M. L. Alharbi, A. A. Basheer, R. A. Khattab, I. Ali, J. Mol. Liq. 2018, 263, 442.
- 5S. Mukate, V. Wagh, D. Panaskar, J. A. Jacobs, A. Sawant, Ecol. Indic. 2019, 101, 348.
- 6C. Pradeep Sekhar, S. Kalidhasan, V. Rajesh, N. Rajesh, Chemosphere 2009, 77, 842.
- 7A. K. Verma, R. R. Dash, P. Bhunia, J. Environ. Manage. 2012, 93, 154.
- 8F. Sher, A. Malik, H. Liu, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2013, 1, 684.
- 9D. Ma, H. Yi, C. Lai, X. Liu, X. Huo, Z. An, L. Li, Y. Fu, B. Li, M. Zhang, L. Qin, S. Liu, L. Yang, Chemosphere 2021, 275, 275.
- 10S. O. Ganiyu, C. A. Martínez-Huitle, M. A. Oturan, Curr. Opin. Electrochem. 2021, 27, 27.
- 11R. Rashid, I. Shafiq, P. Akhter, J. Muhammad Iqbal, M. Hussain, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2021, 28, 9050. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12395-x/Published
- 12B. S. Rathi, P. S. Kumar, Environ. Pollut. 2021, 280, 280.
10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116995 Google Scholar
- 13E. O. Ezugbe, S. Rathilal, Membranes 2020, 10, 89. https://doi.org/10.3390/membranes10050089
- 14P. Masiá, D. Sol, A. Ardura, A. Laca, Y. J. Borrell, E. Dopico, A. Laca, G. Machado-Schiaffino, M. Díaz, E. Garcia-Vazquez, Mar. Pollut. Bull. 2020, 156, 156.
10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111252 Google Scholar
- 15M. U. Saeed, N. Hussain, A. Sumrin, A. Shahbaz, S. Noor, M. Bilal, L. Aleya, H. M. N. Iqbal, Sci. Total Environ. 2022, 818, 818.
10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151754 Google Scholar
- 16G. Crini, E. Lichtfouse, Environ. Chem. Lett. 2019, 17, 145.
- 17M. F. Hanafi, N. Sapawe, Mater. Today: Proc. 2020, 31, A158.
- 18A. Saravanan, P. Senthil Kumar, S. Jeevanantham, S. Karishma, B. Tajsabreen, P. R. Yaashikaa, B. Reshma, Chemosphere 2021, 280, 280.
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.130595 Google Scholar
- 19N. Cheng, B. Wang, P. Wu, X. Lee, Y. Xing, M. Chen, B. Gao, Environ. Pollut. 2021, 273, 273.
- 20D. Swami, D. Buddhi, Int. J. Environ. Pollut. 2006, 27, 324.
- 21K. C. Khulbe, T. Matsuura, Appl. Water Sci. 2018, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13201-018-0661-6
- 22B. Van Der Bruggen, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2009, 114, 630.
- 23T. A. Otitoju, A. L. Ahmad, B. S. Ooi, RSC Adv. 2018, 8, 22710.
- 24E. Shokri, B. Khanghahi, E. Esmizadeh, H. Etemadi, Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2022, 19, 4167.
- 25N. S. Aseri, W. J. Lau, P. S. Goh, H. Hasbullah, N. H. Othman, A. F. Ismail, J. Water Process. Eng. 2019, 32, 32.
10.1016/j.jwpe.2019.100912 Google Scholar
- 26R. O. Tasci, M. A. Kaya, M. Celebi, High Perform. Polym. 2022, 34, 1115.
- 27S. Moyo, N. N. Gumbi, L. A. De Kock, E. N. Nxumalo, Environ. Nanotechnol. Monit. Manage. 2022, 18, 18.
- 28H. Voisin, L. Bergström, P. Liu, A. P. Mathew, Nanomaterials 2017, 7, 3.
10.3390/nano7030057 Google Scholar
- 29A. Dufresne, Curr. For. Rep. 2019, 5, 76.
- 30S. Kalidhasan, P. A. Gupta, V. R. Cholleti, A. Santhana Krishna Kumar, V. Rajesh, N. Rajesh, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2012, 372, 88.
- 31Z. Fang, G. Hou, C. Chen, L. Hu, Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Sci. 2019, 23, 100764.
- 32D. K. Patel, S. D. Dutta, K. T. Lim, RSC Adv. 2019, 9, 19143.
- 33M. Y. Khalid, A. Al Rashid, Z. U. Arif, W. Ahmed, H. Arshad, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2021, 14, 2601.
- 34E. Santoso, R. Ediati, Y. Kusumawati, H. Bahruji, D. O. Sulistiono, D. Prasetyoko, Mater. Today Chem. 2020, 16, 100233.
- 35K. V. Kumar, V. Ramamurthi, S. Sivanesan, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2005, 284, 14.
- 36P. O. Oladoye, T. O. Ajiboye, E. O. Omotola, O. J. Oyewola, Results Eng. 2022, 16, 100678.
- 37I. Mechnou, S. Meskini, I. Mourtah, L. Lebrun, M. Hlaibi, J. Cleaner Prod. 2023, 393, 136333.
- 38T. S. Munonde, A. Nqombolo, S. Hobongwana, A. Mpupa, P. N. Nomngongo, Heliyon 2023, 9, e15502.
- 39S. R. Geed, K. Samal, A. Tagade, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2019, 7, 103439.
- 40M. Pashai Gatabi, H. Milani Moghaddam, M. Ghorbani, J. Mol. Liq. 2016, 216, 117.
- 41S. Mukherjee, S. Barman, G. Halder, Groundwater for Sustainable Dev, 2018, 7, 39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gsd.2018.03.003
10.1016/j.gsd.2018.03.003 Google Scholar
- 42M. Boumediene, H. B. B. George, S. Molina, A. Merlin, K. Lekha, G. Vasumathi, R. Neelam, G. Mourchi, I. Maghri, M. Elkouali,, A. Kenz, M. TalbiA.Amougay, S. Shaibu, F. AdekolaH. Adegoke, O. Ayanda, M.Shashikala, M.Nagapadma, L. Pinto, S.N Nambiar, H.Singh, Materials 2014, 2, 1.
- 43H. Altaher, T. E. Khalil, R. Abubeah, Color. Technol. 2014, 130, 205.
- 44S. Alafnan, A. Awotunde, G. Glatz, S. Adjei, I. Alrumaih, A. Gowida, J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2021, 207, 109172.
- 45H. K. Chung, W. H. Kim, J. Park, J. Cho, T. Y. Jeong, P. K. Park, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 2015, 28, 241.
- 46D. G. Kinniburgh, Environ. Sci. Technol. 1986, 20, 895.
- 47N. A. El, O. Abdelwahab, A. El-Sikaily, A. Khaled, J. Hazard. Mater. 2009, 161, 102.
- 48K. Y. Foo, B. H. Hameed, Bioresour. Technol. 2012, 104, 679.
- 49K. R. Hall, L. C. Eagleton, A. Acrivos, T. Vermeulen, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam. 1966, 5, 212.
- 50M. Belhachemi, F. Addoun, Appl. Water Sci. 2011, 1, 111.
- 51P. K. Malik, Dyes Pigm. 2003, 56, 239.
- 52C. M. Hansen, Hansen Solubility Parameters: A User's Handbook, Second ed. 2007. Boca Raton, CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781420006834
10.1201/9781420006834 Google Scholar
- 53D. Viet, S. Beck-Candanedo, D. G. Gray, Cellulose 2007, 14, 109.
- 54O. van der Berg, J. R. Capadona, C. Weder, Biomacromolecules 2007, 8, 1353.
- 55Y. Su, Y. Zhao, W. Zheng, H. Yu, Y. Liu, L. Xu, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2020, 12, 55520.
- 56S. A. Hamid, S. F. Azha, L. Sellaoui, A. Bonilla-Petriciolet, S. Ismail, Colloids Surf. A 2020, 601, 124980. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfa.2020.124980
- 57N. N. Gumbi, M. Hu, B. B. Mamba, J. Li, E. N. Nxumalo, J. Membr. Sci. 2018, 566, 288.
- 58F. Kouhestani, M. A. Torangi, A. Motavalizadehkakhky, R. Karazhyan, R. Zhiani, Desalin. Water Treat. 2019, 171, 44.
- 59A. L. Ahmad, N. F. Shoparwe, N. H. E. Hanifa, J. Phys. Sci. 2019, 30(Supp. 1) 43. https://doi.org/10.21315/jps2019.30.s1.3
- 60G. Natesan, K. Rajappan, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 2022, 30, 42658.
- 61B. W. Chieng, N. A. Ibrahim, W. M. Z. W. Yunus, M. Z. Hussein, Polymers 2014, 6, 93.
- 62D. Pathania, S. Sharma, P. Singh, Arabian J. Chem. 2017, 10, S1445.
- 63N. Giri, R. K. Natarajan, S. Gunasekaran, S. Shreemathi, Arch. Appl. Sci. Res. 2011, 3, 624.
- 64N. Saba, A. Safwan, M. L. Sanyang, F. Mohammad, M. Pervaiz, M. Jawaid, O. Y. Alothman, M. Sain, Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 2017, 102, 822.
- 65M. J. Cho, B. D. Park, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 2011, 17, 36.
- 66K. Y. Lee, T. Tammelin, K. Schulfter, H. Kiiskinen, J. Samela, A. Bismarck, ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2012, 4, 4078.
- 67W. Zhang, L. Zhong, T. Wang, Z. Jiang, X. Gao, L. Zhang, IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 2018, 397, 012016.
10.1088/1757-899X/397/1/012016 Google Scholar
- 68L. K. Kian, M. Jawaid, M. M. Nasef, H. Fouad, Z. Karim, Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 2021, 192, 654.
- 69P. Qu, H. Tang, Y. Gao, L. P. Zhang, S. Wang, BioResources 2010, 5, 2323.
- 70R. H. Alasfar, V. Kochkodan, S. Ahzi, N. Barth, M. Koç, Polymers 2022, 14, 3317. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14163317
- 71F. Mehrjo, A. Pourkhabbaz, A. Shahbazi, Chemosphere 2021, 263, 263.
10.1016/j.chemosphere.2020.128088 Google Scholar
- 72Z. Zhu, L. Wang, Y. Xu, Q. Li, J. Jiang, X. Wang, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2017, 504, 429.
- 73J. Zhao, H. Liu, P. Xue, S. Tian, S. Sun, X. Lv, Carbohydr. Polym. 2021, 274, 118664.
- 74G. Moradi, S. Zinadini, L. Rajabi, Process Saf. Environ. Prot. 2020, 144, 65.
- 75P. Boruah, R. Gupta, V. Katiyar, Carbohydr. Polym. Technol. Appl. 2023, 5, 100309.
- 76J. Lv, G. Zhang, H. Zhang, C. Zhao, F. Yang, Appl. Surf. Sci. 2018, 440, 1091.
- 77D. Sun, X. Zhang, Y. Wu, X. Liu, J. Hazard. Mater. 2010, 181, 335.
- 78L. Baloo, M. H. Isa, S. N. Bin, A. H. Jagaba, L. J. Wei, S. Yavari, R. Razali, R. Vasu, Alexandria Eng. J. 2021, 60, 5611.
- 79R. Zein, J. Satrio Purnomo, P. Ramadhani, A. M. F. Safni, C. N. Putri, Arabian J. Chem. 2023, 16, 104480.
- 80K. S. Bharathi, S. T. Ramesh, Appl. Water Sci. 2013, 3, 773.
10.1007/s13201-013-0117-y Google Scholar
- 81S. Noreen, M. Tahira, M. Ghamkhar, I. Hafiz, H. N. Bhatti, R. Nadeem, M. A. Murtaza, M. Yaseen, A. A. Sheikh, Z. Naseem, F. Younas, J. Mater. Res. Technol. 2021, 14, 25.
- 82S. Abd Hamid, M. Shahadat, B. Ballinger, S. Farhan Azha, S. Ismail, S. Wazed Ali, S. Ziauddin Ahammad, J. Saudi Chem. Soc. 2020, 24, 785.
- 83Y. C. Sharma, Uma, J. Chem. Eng. Data 2010, 55, 435.
- 84M. Bahgat, A. A. Farghali, W. El Rouby, M. Khedr, M. Y. Mohassab-Ahmed, Appl. Nanosci. 2013, 3, 251.
- 85M. A. Al-Ghouti, D. A. Da'ana, J. Hazard. Mater. 2020, 393, 122383.
- 86S. Kalidhasan, A. Santhana KrishnaKumar, V. Rajesh, N. Rajesh, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 2012, 367, 398.
- 87W. Zhu, M. Han, D. Kim, J. Park, H. Choi, G. Kwon, J. You, S. Li, T. Park, J. Kim, J. Water Process Eng. 2023, 53, 103620.
- 88L. N. Ndlovu, K. I. Malatjie, C. Donga, A. K. Mishra, E. N. Nxumalo, S. B. Mishra, J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2023, 140(1), e53270. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.53270
- 89A. Kajau, M. Motsa, B. B. Mamba, O. Mahlangu, ACS Omega 2021, 6, 31797.
- 90A. Ulu, M. Alpaslan, A. Gultek, B. Ates, Mater. Chem. Phys. 2022, 278, 125611.
- 91J. Cheng, C. Zhan, J. Wu, Z. Cui, J. Si, Q. Wang, X. Peng, L. S. Turng, ACS Omega 2020, 5, 5389.
- 92M. M. H. El-Sayed, R. E. Elsayed, A. Attia, H. H. Farghal, R. A. Azzam, T. M. Madkour, Carbohydr. Polym. Technol. Appl. 2021, 2, 100123.
- 93J. Wu, Z. Dong, X. Li, P. Li, J. Wei, M. Hu, L. Geng, X. Peng, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 2022, 10, 107754.
- 94S. Tahazadeh, T. Mohammadi, M. A. Tofighy, S. Khanlari, H. Karimi, H. B. Motejadded Emrooz, J. Membr. Sci. 2021, 638, 119692.
- 95T. T. Nguyen, T. K. Phung, X. T. Bui, V. D. Doan, T. V. Tran, D. V. Nguyen, K. T. Lim, T. D. Nguyen, J. Water Process Eng. 2021, 40, 40.
- 96G. T. M. Kadja, E. Dwihermiati, F. Sagita, K. Mukhoibibah, K. Umam, M. Ledyastuti, C. Radiman, Inorg. Chem. Commun. 2023, 157, 111263.
- 97N. Li, T. J. Lou, W. Wang, M. Li, L. C. Jing, Z. X. Yang, R. Y. Chang, J. Li, H. Z. Geng, J. Membr. Sci. 2022, 2023, 121271.
