Enhanced performance and anti-fouling properties of polyether sulfone (PES) membranes modified with pistachio shell-derived activated carbon (PSAC)@ZIF-8&ZIF-67 to remove dye contaminants

This study aims to improve the properties of polyether sulfone (PES) membranes by using an innovative composite filler. Pistachio shell-derived activated carbon (PSAC) was initially synthesized via chemical activation, followed by surface modification with ZIF-8 and ZIF-67. Subsequently, modified membranes with varying weight percentages of this composite were fabricated using the phase inversion method. The PSAC@ZIF-8&ZIF-67/PES membranes were characterized through FESEM, AFM, pore size, zeta potential, porosity, and water contact angle analyses. The incorporation of the composite in the membranes was confirmed through ATR-FTIR, XRD, and EDS mapping analyses. The finding indicated that adding 0.6 wt% of nanoparticles improved membrane hydrophilicity, increased surface charge, and enhanced porosity. Additionally, the mixed membranes exhibited reduced sedimentation and higher dye removal than unmodified membranes. The optimum amount of composite is determined as 0.6 wt%. At this condition, pure water flux (PWF) increased dramatically from 22.56 L/m2h to 96.26 L/m2h. The mixed matrix membrane demonstrated superior efficiency in removing malachite green (MG) (97 %) and crystal violet (CV) dyes (93 %) and achieved the highest recovery ratio of 61.9 %, indicating a more remarkable membrane ability to combat fouling. The developed membrane demonstrated enhanced hydrophilicity, dye removal efficiency, and antifouling properties, making it promising for environmental applications. •The polyether sulfone membranes were modified with the PSAC@ZIF-8&ZIF-67 composite.•Incorporating PSAC@ZIF-8&ZIF-67 composite improved the hydrophilicity and reduced the roughness of the modified membranes.•The pure water flux increased from 22.56 L/m2h to 96.26 L/m2h with the addition of up to 0.6 wt% composite.•Incorporating PSAC@ZIF-8&ZIF-67 composite improved the anti-fouling properties of the membranes.•The rejection of modified membranes increased due to the improvement of the properties of the substrate.