Comprehensive Analysis of Spinel-Type Mixed Metal Oxide-Functionalized Polysulfone Membranes toward Fouling Resistance and Dye and Natural Organic Matter Removal.

Nanostructured polymeric membranes are of great importance in enhancing the antifouling properties during water filtration. Nanomaterials with tunable size, morphology and composition, surface modification, and increased functionality provide considerable opportunities for effective wastewater treatment. Thus, in this work, an attempt has been made to use spinel-structured MnCo 2 O 4 as a nanofiller in the fabrication of nanostructured polysulfone (PSF) mixed matrix membranes and is investigated in terms of morphology, hydrophilicity, permeability, protein and natural organic matter separation, dye removal, and, finally, antifouling properties. The MnCo 2 O 4 nanomaterials are synthesized and characterized via X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electron microscopy and are loaded into a membrane matrix with varied concentrations (0 to 1.5 wt %). PSF nanocomposite membranes are prepared via a nonsolvent-induced phase-separation process. The results show an enhancement in hydrophilicity, porosity, and permeability with respect to the modified nanocomposite membranes because of oxygen-rich species in the membrane matrix, which increases affinity toward water. It was also found that the modified membranes display remarkably greater pure water flux (PWF) (220 L/m 2 h), higher Congo red rejection coefficient (99.86%), higher humic acid removal (99.81%), higher fouling resistance, and a significant flux recovery ratio (FRR) (88%) when tested with bovine serum albumin protein when compared to a bare PSF membrane (30 L/m 2 h PWF and 35% FRR). This is because the addition of MnCo 2 O 4 nanoparticles into the polymeric casting solution yielded tighter PSF membranes with a denser skin layer and greater selectivity. Thus, the enhanced permeability, greater rejection coefficient, and antifouling properties show the promising potential of the fabricated PSF-spinel nanostructured membrane to be utilized in membrane technology for wastewater treatment.