A highly durable and hydrophilic PVDF- MoS2/WO3-PVA membrane with visible light driven self-cleaning performance for pollutant-burdened natural rubber wastewater treatment

Recently, the unification of photocatalytic degradation and hydrophilic properties has received a remarkable attention in membrane-based operation. In this study, the PVDF membrane was tailored by the incorporation of MoS2/WO3 recognized as MSW photocatalyst material with a cross-linked PVA. The filtration process was conducted with and without visible-light irradiation, and the properties of the clean and fouled membrane were identified using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The characterization results confirmed the successful blending of the composite material in the PVDF membrane. The PVDF-MSW-PVA membrane exhibited convincing performances with a high-photodegradation efficiency and excellent self-cleaning ability. The PVDF-MSW-PVA membrane achieved an initial flux of 100.66 L.m−2.h−1 and exhibited 98.77 % of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 94.30 % of total dissolved solid (TDS), and 96.66 % of ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) rejection under visible-light illumination. The excellent antifouling and self-cleaning ability of the membrane was confirmed by the unnoticeable decrease of permeate flux after 5 cycle photo-filtration process, the highest flux recovery ratio of 96.93 %, and a decrease of total fouling retention of the membrane with the higher Rr than that of Rir. The modified membrane also demonstrated good reusability for long term-used upon 10 h of usage for the filtration process under visible-light irradiation. These results suggest the synergetic use of photocatalytic and hydrophilic material for the treatment of pollutant-burdened natural rubber wastewater via a combined degradation and filtration process. [Display omitted] •The synergetic effects of hydrophilic and photocatalytic material amplify the antifouling properties.•The extant foulant alters from irreversible to reversible under visible light irradiation.•MoS2/WO3 and PVA amplified membrane's self-cleaning ability.