Removal of Pollutants from Wastewater Through Nanofiltration

Abstract

The treatment and supply of drinking water are fundamental challenges globally. Different water purification techniques have some setbacks such as the addition of chemicals, energy cost and incapacitated treatment of large volumes of wastewater. Nanofiltration membrane has offered a wide scope for the removal of pollutants from industrial wastewater. This paper provides a review of the nanofiltra-tion mechanism, some factors affecting the nanofiltration membrane, and a summary of the polymer membrane, metal-oxide-based and carbon-based membrane. These material types of the membranes have been demonstrated for the excellent purifica-tion and treatment technologies, following these advantages namely; simple scale-up, energy operational condition, environmentally friendliness, compact design, low energy consumption and high separation efficiency. But one of the issues associated with a membrane is fouling. The modification membrane also destroys the surface structure, leading to its instability after long-term filtration and the formation of nanoparticles agglomeration in the membrane matrix. Therefore, physical modifica-tion of membrane surfaces, blending with hydrophilic materials will help to control fouling. More research on modification to enhance its performance (decrease in the roughness of the membrane surface and improvement of membrane hydrophilicity) to control fouling should be considered for a holistic membrane performance for wastewater treatment.