Removal of Methylene Blue Dye from Aqueous Solutions Using Polymer Inclusion Membrane Containing Calix[4]pyrrole

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Methylene blue (MB) is a common dye pollutant in aqueous solutions.
• Effective and sustainable methods for dye removal are crucial for environmental protection.
• Polymer inclusion membranes (PIMs) offer a promising approach for selective contaminant separation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of PIMs for methylene blue dye purification.
• To optimize PIM composition for enhanced dye removal efficiency.
• To evaluate the transport properties and reusability of the developed membranes.

Main Methods:

• PIMs were fabricated using cellulose triacetate (CTA), o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE), and a calixpyrrole (KP) carrier.
• Membrane characterization included SEM, TGA, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy.
• Dye removal efficiency and flux were studied under varying MB concentrations and pH conditions.

Main Results:

• Increased MB concentration led to higher removal percentages.
• Flux increased with source phase pH from 3 to 10.
• Optimal PIM composition (74% plasticizer, 18% support, 8% carrier) achieved 93.10% MB removal.
• The optimized membrane demonstrated good reusability and efficient dye separation.

Conclusions:

• PIMs are effective for methylene blue dye removal from aqueous solutions.
• Membrane composition, particularly carrier and plasticizer content, significantly impacts performance.
• The developed PIMs offer a reusable and efficient method for spontaneous dye separation.