An aluminum oxide-impregnated carbon nanotube (CNT-Al₂O₃) membrane was developed via a novel approach and used in the removal of toxic metal cadmium ions, Cd(II). The membrane did not require any binder to hold the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) together. Instead, the Al₂O₃ particles impregnated on the surface of the CNTs were sintered together during heating at 1400 °C. Impregnated CNTs were characterized using XRD, while the CNT-Al₂O₃ membrane was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Water flux, contact angle, and porosity measurements were performed on the membrane prior to the Cd(II) ion removal experiment, which was conducted in a specially devised continuous filtration system. The results demonstrated the extreme hydrophilic behavior of the developed membrane, which yielded a high water flux through the membrane. The filtration system removed 84% of the Cd(II) ions at pH 7 using CNT membrane with 10% Al₂O₃ loading. A maximum adsorption capacity of 54 mg/g was predicted by the Langmuir isotherm model for the CNT membrane with 10% Al₂O₃ loading. This high adsorption capacity indicated that adsorption was the main mechanism involved in the removal of Cd(II) ions.
Keywords: aluminum oxide; cadmium; carbon nanotubes; membrane; toxic metal.