Effect of porogen agent on bio-based membranes filtration performances: Experimental and theoritical study

•Bio-based materials.•Low cost membrane.•Efficient removal of MV and OG dyes.•Synergy between the theoretical study and the obtained experimental results. This contribution is aimed on the elaboration of bio-based membranes hybrids using natural clay and wood charcoal at 20 wt.%. In order to underline the effect of porosity on the membranes performances, the percent of cornstarch, used as porogen agent, was varied from 0 to 8 wt.%. The obtained membranes materials were noticed as MATC200, MATC204 and MATC208. Their chemical structure and morphological properties were examined and discussed, according to porogen agent content, using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), as well as, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses. The textural properties were defined using Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method. Their chemical stability was, also evaluated. The obtained confirm the mesopore structure of the elaborated bio-based membranes and hence, their successful application in ultrafiltration. Interestingly, the obtained results regarding the uptake of methyl violet (MV) and orange G (OG) dyes, considered as cationic and anionic pollutants respectively, confirm the efficiency of these bio-based membranes. Therefore, a comparative study regarding the filtration behavior of each dye was discussed according to the pollutant concentration; dye charge, bio-based membrane surface polarity, as well as porosity. Based on the performances of the molecular simulation, the interactions governed the dye/bio-membrane were illustrated in accordance with the obtained experimental results. [Display omitted]