Efficient Removal of Pb(II) and Cr(III) Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals into the Polyamide Nanofiltration Membrane

Nowadays, discharge of toxic heavy metals through industrial, domestic, and agricultural effluents into the environment, in this study, the efficiency of thin-layer nanocomposite (TFN) nanofiltration membranes made using surface polymerization in combination with modified cellulose nanoparticles (mNC) was assessed for the removal of lead and chromium ions from aqueous solutions. In so doing, after modification of MNCSNCs, fabrication of membrane substrate and also PA selective layer, and then testing the performance of the membrane, the physical properties of the modified nanoparticles and nanocomposite membranes were also investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and zeta potential. Based on the Results obtained, the water flux of TFN2 membranes increased from 42 to 125 l/m2/h. Also, at pH = 8.5, the removal rate of Pb(II) and Cr(III) was 93% and 100%, respectively. Moreover, under these conditions, the adsorption process followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models. In general, the results showed that the synthesized nanofiltration nanocomposite membrane by embedding modified cellulose nanocrystals can be used to effectively remove Pb(II) and Cr(III) ions from aqueous solutions.