Improvement of characterization and application of Polyethersulfone membrane by CeO2@SiO2 nanoparticles for drug pollutant removal

In this study, thin film composite membranes were fabricated and modified by CeO 2 functionalized SiO 2 (CeO 2 @SiO 2 ) through an interfacial polymerization technique with different concentrations of nanoparticles set at 0.1 to 0.35 wt%. The morphological analyses revealed modifications in the surface characteristics with the reduced surface roughness of the prepared membranes. The hydrophilicity of the modified membrane was improved by increasing the amount of the CeO 2 @SiO 2 nanoparticles. The results demonstrated that the membrane with 0.25 wt% of CeO 2 @ SiO2 nanoparticles performed better in terms of water flux and Bovine Serum Albumin rejection. Furthermore, 0.25 wt% CeO 2 @SiO 2 membrane performance was investigated for rejection of the Ciprofloxacin (CIP) as a target pollutant by several cycles. Also, Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) surfactant was used to achieve the optimal rejection of the membrane. Under optimal conditions, the rejection rate was above 95% in each cycle. Eventually, the great performance of the innovative CeO 2 @SiO 2 modified polyethersulfone membrane demonstrated its excellent potential for usage in wastewater treatment.