Evaluation of Removal Mechanisms in a Graphene Oxide-Coated Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membrane for Retention of Natural Organic Matter, Pharmaceuticals, and Inorganic Salts

Kyoung Hoon Chu; Mahdi Fathizadeh; Miao Yu; Joseph R V Flora; Am Jang; Min Jang; Chang Min Park; Sung Soo Yoo; Namguk Her; Yeomin Yoon

doi:10.1021/acsami.7b14217

Evaluation of Removal Mechanisms in a Graphene Oxide-Coated Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membrane for Retention of Natural Organic Matter, Pharmaceuticals, and Inorganic Salts

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2017 Nov 22;9(46):40369-40377. doi: 10.1021/acsami.7b14217. Epub 2017 Nov 10.

Authors

Kyoung Hoon Chu¹, Mahdi Fathizadeh², Miao Yu^{2

3}, Joseph R V Flora¹, Am Jang⁴, Min Jang⁵, Chang Min Park⁶, Sung Soo Yoo⁷, Namguk Her⁸, Yeomin Yoon¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of South Carolina , Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, University of South Carolina , Columbia, South Carolina 29208, United States.
³ Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , Troy, New York 12180, United States.
⁴ School of Civil and Architecture Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University , 2066 Seobu-ro, Jangan-16 Gu, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 440-746, South Korea.
⁵ Department of Environmental Engineering, Kwangwoon University , 447-1 Wolgye-Dong, Nowon-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Department of Environmental Engineering, Kyungpook National University , 80 Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu 41566, South Korea.
⁷ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Yonsei University , 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, South Korea.
⁸ Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Korea Army Academy at Young-Cheon , 495 Hogook-ro, Kokyungmeon, Young-Cheon, Gyeongbuk 38900, South Korea.

PMID: 29111662
DOI: 10.1021/acsami.7b14217

Abstract

Functionalized graphene oxide (GO), derived from pure graphite via the modified Hummer method, was used to modify commercially available ceramic ultrafiltration membranes using the vacuum method. The modified ceramic membrane functionalized with GO (ceramic_GO) was characterized using a variety of analysis techniques and exhibited higher hydrophilicity and increased negative charge compared with the pristine ceramic membrane. Although the pure water permeability of the ceramic_GO membrane (14.4-58.6 L/m² h/bar) was slightly lower than that of the pristine membrane (25.1-62.7 L/m² h/bar), the removal efficiencies associated with hydrophobic attraction and charge effects were improved significantly after GO coating. Additionally, solute transport in the GO nanosheets of the ceramic_GO membrane played a vital role in the retention of target compounds: natural organic matter (NOM; humic acid and tannic acid), pharmaceuticals (ibuprofen and sulfamethoxazole), and inorganic salts (NaCl, Na₂SO₄, CaCl₂, and CaSO₄). While the retention efficiencies of NOM, pharmaceuticals, and inorganic salts in the pristine membrane were 74.6%, 15.3%, and 2.9%, respectively, these increased to 93.5%, 51.0%, and 31.4% for the ceramic_GO membrane. Consequently, the improved removal mechanisms of the membrane modified with functionalized GO nanosheets can provide efficient retention for water treatment under suboptimal environmental conditions of pH and ionic strength.

Keywords: ceramic ultrafiltration membrane; inorganic salts; natural organic matters; pharmaceuticals; removal mechanisms.