Abstract
Functionalized membranes containing nanoparticles provide a novel platform for organic pollutant degradation reactions and for selective removal of contaminants without the drawback of potential nanoparticle loss to the environment. These eco-friendly and sustainable technology approaches allow various water treatment applications by enhanced water transport through the membrane pores. This paper presents "green" techniques to create nanocomposite materials based on sponge-like membranes for water remediation applications involving chlorinated organic compounds. First, hydrophobic hollow fiber microfiltration membranes (HF) of polyvinylidene fluoride were hydrophilized using a water-based green chemistry process with polyvinylpyrrolidone and persulfate. HF and flat sheet membrane pores were then functionalized with poly(acrylic acid) and synthesized Fe/Pd nanoparticles. Surface modifications were determined by contact angle, surface free energy and infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by electronic microscopy, X-ray spectrometry and image analysis. Nanoparticle mean sizes obtained were 203 ± 10 and 300 ± 11 nm for each of the membranes. Depending on the concentration of the dopant (Pd) in the membrane, catalytic activity (established by trichloroethylene (TCE) reduction), was enhanced up to 10-fold compared to other reported results. Chloride produced in reduction was close to the stoichiometric 3/1 (Cl-/TCE), indicating complete absence of reaction intermediates.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 907-918 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 7 2016 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2015 American Chemical Society.
Funding
Grant Number P42ES007380 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences supported this project. NSF KY EPSCoR (1355438) program also provided partial support. We thank the NIH-NIEHS-SRC program, University of Kentucky Environmental Research Training Laboratories, the Center of Membrane Sciences and KY NSF EPSCoR Membrane Pillar and the Robert E. Hemenway Writing Center. Hollow fiber Membranes were fabricated at the Singapore Membrane Technology Center, NTU (Singapore, Singapore). Flat sheet and spongy membranes used were fabricated throughcollaborative work with Nanostone (Oceanside CA, USA). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences or the National Institutes of Health.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| NIH-NIEHS-SRC | |
| Singapore Membrane Technology Center | |
| University of Kentucky Environmental Research Training Laboratories | |
| National Science Foundation Arctic Social Science Program | |
| National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences | |
| Office of Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research | 1355438 |
| Kansas NSF EPSCoR | |
| Nanyang Technological University |
Keywords
- Nanoparticles
- Sponge-like membranes
- Surface modification
- TCE dechlorination
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Chemistry
- Environmental Chemistry
- General Chemical Engineering
- Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
