Future perspectives of nanocellulose-based membrane for water treatment

[Display omitted] •Biodegradable and nontoxic nanocellulose could act as building block or additives of membranes.•Simple and economic methods include filtration, infusion, blending, coating, and interfacial polymerization.•Carboxyl, carboxylate, amino, thiol, silanol groups and nanoparticles renders surface charges and reactivity.•Water treatment cost will be reduced by improving the hydrophilicity and mechanical strength of membrane. Membranes are useful in water recovery from polluted water resources, but their separation performance and durability are limited by the membrane materials and additives in the current fabrication practices. Since the biodegradable and low-cost nanocellulose has been extensively used in membrane development in the past decade, this review provides an insight on nanocellulose-based membranes that are synthesized and modified using different routes. Although cellulose nanofibril, cellulose nanocrystal and bacterial nanocellulose show different structures and properties, most researchers concluded the incorporation of nanocellulose increased the pore size, porosity and superhydrophilicity of membrane, leading to high water flux and selectivity for future commercialization. Chemical modification of nanocellulose could enhance the surface affinity and reactivity of membranes for the effective removal specific pollutants. The incorporation of inorganic nanomaterials should be further explored to create nanocellulose membranes with more functionalities. The economic potential of nanocellulose membranes not only depends on the synthesis and modification routes, but also relies on their commercial applications such as desalination and membrane bioreactor systems.