Innovative Biochar-Infused Membranes for Efficient Pollutant Removal From Textile and Pharmaceutical Wastewater

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Wastewater treatment faces challenges with dye and antibiotic pollutants.
• Conventional methods can be costly and inefficient.
• Developing sustainable and economical adsorbents is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare biochar-infused polymeric mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for dye and antibiotic removal.
• To investigate the adsorption capabilities of membranes derived from industrial spice waste (SW) and tannery waste (TW).
• To evaluate the economic viability and reusability of these novel membranes.

Main Methods:

• Spin-coating technique used to create biochar-infused MMMs.
• Biochar synthesized from SW and TW via pyrolysis at 500°C.
• Characterization using proximate analysis, FESEM, BET, point of zero charge, and XRF.
• Adsorption studies conducted for Congo red (CR), methylene blue (MB), tartrazine (Tz), metronidazole (Mz), and clindamycin hydrochloride (CH).

Main Results:

• TW biochar effectively adsorbed both dyes and antibiotics; SW biochar adsorbed only dyes.
• Membrane filtration showed slightly lower efficiency than batch adsorption but offered faster, continuous operation.
• Optimized conditions yielded maximum removal efficiencies: 60% (CR), 83% (MB), 58% (Tz), 47% (Mz), and 58% (CH).
• Membranes demonstrated effective regeneration and reusability for up to five cycles.

Conclusions:

• Biochar-infused MMMs from industrial waste provide a cost-effective wastewater treatment solution.
• TW-derived membranes show broad applicability for removing diverse pollutants.
• The developed membranes are reusable, enhancing their sustainability and economic feasibility.