A single solution for arsenite and arsenate removal from drinking water using cysteine@ZnS:TiO2 nanoparticle modified molecularly imprinted biofouling-resistant filtration membrane

• Published in: Chemical engineering journal (Lausanne, Switzerland : 1996) Switzerland : 1996), 2016-11, Vol.304, p.259-270
• Main Authors: Roy, Ekta, Patra, Santanu, Madhuri, Rashmi, Sharma, Prashant K.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antibacterial activity; Arsenite and arsenate removal; Grafting-from; Imprinted membrane; Water purification
• ISSN: 1385-8947; 1873-3212
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2016.06.064

[Display omitted] •As (III) & (V) imprinted membranes were designed by ‘grafting-from’ & imprinting technology.•The membrane was fabricated for selective removal of arsenic from drinking water in minimum cost.•The 3D-imprinted membrane is very stable, highly resistant to breakage/biofouling and economic.•Fabrication process is easy & provides technical readiness for scaling up the membrane production.•Membrane could be regenerated and reused, several times, without any loss in binding capacity. The continuous elevation in the arsenic levels in groundwater, due to the industrial and human activities has become a threat around the word and more specifically in South Asia. In the areas where the drinking water contains a high level of arsenic, the foremost step is to provide the safe source of drinking water to the common people, at any cost. Herein, a membrane has been fabricated for selective removal of arsenic (III and V) from drinking water with minimum cost. The membrane is synthesized by a unique combination of ‘grafting-from’ and molecular imprinting technologies. The 3D-imprinted membrane is very stable, highly resistant to breakage and biofouling i.e. possess anti-bacterial property in comparison to the conventional membranes. The synthesized membrane exhibits high adsorption capacity with outstanding specific selectivity towards As (III) and As (V). The membrane can be regenerated and reused, several times, without any loss of their binding capacity. The membrane is also applied for removal of arsenic impurities present in the water samples collected from different area of Jharkhand and West Bengal, India and the membrane exhibits 95% removal efficiency.