Textile waste, dyes/inorganic salts separation of cerium oxide-loaded loose nanofiltration polyethersulfone membranes

[Display omitted] •Novel cerium oxide/PES loose nanofiltration membrane was fabricated.•Thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of phase inversion process were studied.•Dye/inorganic salt fractionation was improved by CeO2 loaded membranes.•Nanocomposite membranes showed good stability and enhanced anti-fouling property. Poly(ether sulfone) (PES) loose nanofiltration nanocomposite membranes were prepared by incorporating cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles (NPs) via a non-solvent induced phase separation technique. The influence of NPs on thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of phase separation was studied by phase diagram construction and viscosity measurement. FESEM images exhibited asymmetric structure of the membranes with a dense top layer, while contact angle measurements confirmed improved membrane hydrophilicity. The performances of the membranes were tested by aqueous dye solutions viz., Direct Red 23, Congo Red, and Direct Red 243 as well as real textile wastewater. Low rejection rates were observed for different aqueous salt solutions following the sequence: MgSO4 (4.1%) > Na2SO4 (3.3%) > MgCl2 (1.8%) > NaCl (1.2%). The nanocomposites exhibit remarkable antifouling properties compared to the pristine membrane.