A novel organic-inorganic matrix nanofiltration membrane for remediating copper with enhanced thermal stability and mechanical strength.

Membrane separation technology in the last 40 years has experienced impressive growth, displacing conventional separation processes due to inherent advantages such as less capital investment, and energy efficiency and the devices were simple, compact, and modular. In the current work, we aimed to synthesize a thin-sheet nanofiltration membrane using chitosan (CS), poly(vinyl) alcohol (PVA), and montmorillonite nanoclay (MMT) for copper removal from aqueous solution. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were employed to evaluate the thermal stability of a novel organic-inorganic hybrid membrane. The tensile strength was measured over a wide range of temperatures and pressure to determine its stability. The surface and cross-section morphology of the membrane were studied through scanning electron microscopy. The prepared membrane was then tested for filtration efficiency by adjusting parameters such as pH, pressure, metal ion concentration, and membrane thickness. A mechanism was proposed to explain the hooking of copper ions with the as-prepared membrane after spectral images, such as EDAX and FT-IR, were compared both before and after filtration.