Gemini micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (GMEUF) process for the treatment of phenol wastewater Original Research Article

Comprehensive studies were carried on the micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration of phenol for the treatment of phenol wastewater with the help of cationic Gemini surfactant (CG) and Polyethersulfone (PES) flat sheet membranes of a molecular weight cut-off of 10 kDa. The effects on the retention (phenol and surfactant), permeate flux and secondary resistance of various factors in the practical application of GMEUF were investigated including feed CG concentration, mole fraction of nonionic surfactant, electrolyte concentration and temperature, respectively. The results presented that the retention of phenol kept evidently increasing with the augment of the feed CG concentration and mole fraction of nonionic surfactant. On the contrary, electrolyte concentration and temperature had a negative influence on the phenol retention. Besides, the addition of feed CG concentration and mole fraction of nonionic surfactant led to the decrement of the permeate flux and enhancement of secondary resistance significantly. These results demonstrated that CG surfactant with exceptional structure had brightly application prospect for the treatment of phenol wastewater in micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration.