Effect of Incorporation of Zirconia Nanoparticles on Microstructure and Filtration Performance of Nylon 6 Nanomembrane to Remove the Arsenic from the Water Resources

Supplying safe drinking water is one of the necessary actions of today's human societies because of the lack of water resources and successive droughts. Arsenic is a toxic element that can cause serious problems such as cancer if its amount was higher than the allowed limit, and it is used for the long term. In this study, the removal of arsenic by monolithic nylon 6 and hybrid nylon 6/zirconia nanomembrane was investigated. The monolithic nylon 6 and hybrid nylon 6/zirconia NMs were synthesized using a novel electrospinning method. The microstructure and presence of zirconia nanoparticles were evaluated by means of scanning electron microscope, X-ray energy dissipation spectrometer and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The mechanical properties of NMs were investigated. The value of zeta potential (ξ) was measured as an important factor in arsenic absorption. The filtration process was performed with a constant pressure of 0.82 bar and with an initial concentration of arsenic equal to 0.05 mg/L. Characterization of monolithic nylon 6 and hybrid nylon 6/zirconia nanomembrane (NMs) showed that the average fiber diameter was 163 ± 15 nm and 180 ± 38 nm, respectively. Also, the presence of zirconia nanoparticles within the hybrid NMs was confirmed by infrared spectroscopy analysis. The zeta potential of zirconia NPs was measured as a key factor to create the driving force for arsenic adsorption. The value of zeta potential was calculated as -14 mV at the neutral pH. The results of the stress-strain test showed that the tensile strength of monolithic nylon 6 and hybrid nylon 6/zirconia NMs is equal to 6.9 and 3.1 MPa, respectively. The filtration performance of both membranes was evaluated and it was found that the efficiency coefficient of monolithic nylon 6 and hybrid nylon 6/zirconia NMs is 25.01% and 31.61%., respectively. The fitting of blockage models on the experimental data showed that the intermediate blockage model was the dominant model. According to the 31.61% performance of arsenic removal, and also due to the findings of this research it is confirmed that the incorporation of zirconia NPs into the nylon 6 NFs can enhance the filtration ability to remove arsenic from the water sources.