Novel Adsorptive Mixed Matrix Membrane by Incorporating Modified Nanoclay with Amino Acid for Removal of Arsenic from Water

In this work, polysulfone (PSf) mixed matrix membranes were prepared by incorporating modified montmorillonite with lysine amino acid (MMT-Lys) for arsenic removal from water. Different tests including XRD, zeta potential, FE-SEM, contact angle, and pure water flux (PWF) were carried out to characterize modified MMT and fabricated mixed matrix membranes. XRD analysis showed that MMT was successfully modified with Lys and its zeta potentials transferred from negative to positive after modification. Positive charge of MMT-Lys made it proper for anionic arsenic removal from water. The obtained results showed that pure water flux and surface hydrophilicity of the membranes improved as MMT-Lys contents increased from 0 to 1.5 wt.%. The batch adsorption of fabricated membranes as a function of arsenic initial concentration and solution pH was investigated. The removal efficiency was increased with increasing the arsenic initial concentration; however it was decreased with increasing pH of solution. The results also revealed that the arsenic adsorption was most favorable in the neutral pH. Moreover, membrane reusability of the PSf/MMT-Lys (1.5 wt.%) membrane was assessed by conducting five cycles of adsorption-desorption experiments in dead-end filtration. The obtained results showed the applicability of the prepared membrane for multiple cycles.