The effectiveness of nano-halloysite ceramic membranes in removing lead from polluted water

This study investigates the fabrication and performance of ceramic nanocomposite membranes incorporating halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and manganese oxide (Mn₃O₄) nanoparticles for lead removal from water. Six ceramic nanocomposite membranes were fabricated by varying HNT content (75, 80, and 85 wt.%) and sintering temperature (900 and 1,000 °C), with constant grog (8 wt.%) and Mn₃O₄ additions. Water flux measurements demonstrated that membrane H85-900 (85% HNTs, 900 °C) achieved the highest permeability of 390 L/m².h at 5 bar. Lead removal efficiency in synthetic aqueous solutions reached 99.84% for membrane H80-1,000 (80% HNTs, 1,000 °C). When tested with spiked real groundwater samples, the membranes maintained high performance, achieving 99.16% lead removal with the H80-1,000 membrane. The Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles used in this study were synthesized via co-precipitation and characterized based on particle size, crystal structure, and purity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed uniform crystalline particles with sizes of 30-40 nm. X-ray fluorescence confirmed 95.2% Mn₃O₄ purity, and X-ray diffraction indicated a tetragonal crystal structure. UV-visible spectra exhibited characteristic absorption peaks at 220 nm (O^2-- Mn²⁺/Mn³⁺ charge transfer) and 350 nm (d-d crystal field transition). These results demonstrate the potential of locally sourced HNT-based ceramic membranes for effective heavy metal remediation in water treatment applications.