Preparation of ZrO[sub.2]/TiO[sub.2]/Al[sub.2]O[sub.3] Nanofiltration Lab-Scale Membrane for Filtering Heavy Metal Ions

• Published in: Coatings (Basel) 2022-11, Vol.12 (11)
• Main Authors: Yang, Jie, Sun, Jinquan, Bao, Huanzhong, Li, Song, Zhang, Lianbao, Bao, Xinyue, Li, Fujie, He, Qingkun, Wei, Na, Xie, Kun, Li, Wensheng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic resources; China; Wastewater; Water-supply
• ISSN: 2079-6412; 2079-6412
• DOI: 10.3390/coatings12111681

ZrO[sub.2] is an excellent ceramic preparation material that can maintain chemical stability in medium-strong acid and alkali environments. The sintering impregnation method was used to prepare the ZrO[sub.2]/TiO[sub.2]/Al[sub.2]O[sub.3] composite nanofiltration membrane (ZTA membrane). Nano-ZrO[sub.2], submicron TiO[sub.2], and microporous Al[sub.2]O[sub.3] were used as the surface layer, the transition layer, and the support layer, respectively. The structure and phase of the membrane were measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD). The composite membrane's retention, hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties were characterized and evaluated using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer, a water contact angle tester (WCA), and a dead-end filtration device. With the increase in separation layer deposition time, the retention rate of methyl blue increased, and the water flux decreased. At a deposition time of 75 min, the retention rate of methyl blue was more than 80%, and the water flux reached 337.5 L·m[sup.−2] h[sup.−1] bar[sup.−1] at −1 bar transmembrane pressure. The membranes are hydrophilic and have different interception abilities for metal ions, and the order of retention effect is Ag[sup.+] > Cu[sup.2+] > Mg[sup.2+] > Na[sup.+], and Ag[sup.+] and Cu[sup.2+] reached 65.3% and 50.5%, respectively. The prepared ZTA composite nanofiltration membrane has potential application value in heavy metal ion filtration.