Mo-BiVO₄ Photocatalytically Modified Ceramic Ultrafiltration Membranes for Enhanced Water Treatment Efficiency

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Membrane filtration faces challenges with concentrated waste effluent and declining water flux due to pollutant accumulation.
• Photocatalytic modification offers a potential solution to enhance membrane performance and address these drawbacks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate novel ceramic ultrafiltration (UF) membranes modified with photocatalytic Mo-BiVO4 inverse opal coatings.
• To assess the membranes' effectiveness in pollutant removal, water flux maintenance, and waste stream reduction.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of tubular UF membranes with Mo-BiVO4 inverse opal coatings.
• Characterization using morphological analysis, Raman spectroscopy, and optical studies.
• Evaluation of photocatalytic activity for tetracycline removal under UV and visible light, alongside Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of Mo-BiVO4 coatings with ordered structures and interconnected macropores.
• Negligible impact on water permeance and consistent photocatalytic efficiency under UV and visible light.
• Efficient tetracycline removal and degradation, with complete solute elimination confirmed by TOC analysis without intermediate formation.

Conclusions:

• Mo-BiVO4 photocatalytic membranes show significant promise for sustainable water treatment and wastewater remediation.
• The developed membranes maintain integrity and avoid concentrated retentate effluent formation.
• These findings pave the way for optimized and scalable practical water treatment systems.