Zanita Elysia Isril, Marzuki Naibaho, Hannah Faye M. Austria, Tsung-Han Huang, Aditya Rianjanu, Canggih Setya Budi, Anawati Anawati, Wei-Song Hung, Januar Widakdo
Water scarcity and pollution, driven by rapid industrialization and urbanization, pose critical challenges to global water security. Industrial wastewater, often laden with hazardous dyes, threatens ecosystems and human health due to its toxicity, non-biodegradability, and resistance to conventional treatments. This study addresses these challenges by developing and optimizing polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membranes for dye separation using the nanofiltration (NF) technique. PAN, recognized for its superior chemical stability, mechanical properties, and environmental safety, was fabricated using the Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) method, followed by alkali hydrolysis for surface modification. The study systematically explores variations in casting solution concentrations (8–14 wt%) and hydrolysis durations (1–3 h) to enhance membrane hydrophilicity, permeability, and selectivity. The optimized membrane, hydrolyzed for 3 h with a 12 wt% PAN solution, achieved a permeation flux of 64.3 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 and a dye rejection efficiency exceeding 99 % for Congo Red. These results highlight the potential of hydrolyzed PAN membranes as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for wastewater treatment, offering a balance between high performance and operational feasibility. © 2025 The Authors
Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Department of Materials Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia; Center for Green and Sustainable Materials, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Terusan Ryacudu, Way Hui, Jati Agung, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia; Research Center for Polymer Technology, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), The B.J. Habibie Science and Technology Area, Banten, South Tangerang, 15314, Indonesia; Advanced Membrane Materials Research Center, Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, 10607, Taiwan