1
Return

Fabrication of a robust inorganic membrane decorated with a photocatalytic Ag3PO4/TiO2 nanocomposite for sustainable separation of emulsified oil from water

delete2026-07-10
delete0
delete
OA
AI
U
Umair Baig
A
Abdul Waheed *
DOI:10.1016/j.jsamd.2026.101225delete
deleteOriginal
deleteShare
deleteSave
View PDF
Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
A variety of polymeric membranes have been developed over the years for treating wastewater streams. Though organic polymeric membranes have performed remarkably in treating wastewater streams, they have certain drawbacks, such as releasing degradation products into water bodies as pollutants. Hence, the need of the day is to develop alternative options that are environmentally benign and easy to fabricate. In such a scenario, inorganic membranes are highly promising options for treating the complex wastewater streams. Hence, the current study was designed to fabricate a fully inorganic membrane composed of a photocatalytic Ag3PO4/TiO2 (AgP/TiO2) nanocomposite active layer decorated on the alumina ceramic support using a drop-cast approach onto a ceramic disc, followed by calcination. The synthesized AgP/TiO2 nanocomposite and the AgP/TiO2@Aluminum oxide membrane were studied for their physicochemical properties and application in the efficient separation of stabilized and emulsified oil from water. The field-emission transmission electron microscopy (FE-TEM) revealed the detailed internal structure of the nanocomposite, confirming the embedding of AgP in the matrix of TiO2, whereas the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) confirmed the crystallinity of the nanocomposite. In the case of the AgP/TiO2@Aluminum oxide membrane, the membrane exhibited unique wettability: superhydrophilic/superoleophilic in air and superoleophobic underwater, as confirmed by water and oil contact angle measurements. The membrane exhibited excellent separation efficiency of approximately 99% across a range of applied feed pressures. The permeate flux was 760.5 L m-2 h-1 and 549.3 L m-2 h-1 at 2 bar using distilled water and a 100 ppm crude oil-in-water emulsion, respectively. Despite the special wettability features of the AgP/TiO2@Aluminum oxide membrane, fouling was inevitable, as evidenced by long-term separation experiments. However, the membrane's photocatalytic self-cleaning properties restored its permeability.
Keywords:
Inorganic membrane
Photocatalytic self-cleaning
Antifouling properties
Oil/water separation
Sustainable separations
AI Summary

AI Summary

Key information extracted from the uploaded paper, including a brief overview, abstract, background, key highlights, visual analysis, and future outlook.

Journal

J
journal of science: advanced materials and devices
IF:
0
Papers:
152
Citations:
0

Organization

K
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Scholars:
1.3K
Papers: 601
Citations: 1
Cited Papers

Cited Papers

Citing Papers

Citing Papers