Amine grafted graphene oxide embedded in polyamide membranes for simultaneous removal of oil, metals, and salts from oily water

As a result of the economic growth and the emergence of industrialization in most economies, water purification has gained increased significance. The nanocomposite nanofiltration membranes can remove salts, hydrocarbons, and environmental pollutants. However, the surface wettability of the membrane materials is crucial since they are utilized to separate emulsified oil/water mixtures. In this study, the polyvinylidene fluoride support membrane was successfully modified to a hydrophilic state in this instance via dip single-step coating by modifying graphene oxide (GO) with (3-aminophenyltriethoxysilane)-trimesic acid-melamine (GO-APTES-TA-MM) polyamide. The separation efficiency and antifouling properties were evaluated by analyzing the flux using a membrane cell tester machine. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to confirm the morphology of the membrane and EDX was employed to characterize the modified membrane before and after separation testing. The membrane shows good rejection of organic pollutants including pentane, isooctane, toluene, and hexadecane, attaining a removal of >90 % of heavy metals such as strontium, lead, and cobalt, and 86 % rejection of salt ions SO₄²⁻, and 42 % for Mg²⁺. According to the findings, the membrane can be a good choice for simultaneous treatment of wastewater containing a mixture of metal ions, hydrocarbons, and salt mixes from oily water.