Abstract
Almost one-third of the global population is presently threatened by water scarcity owing to unplanned civilization and industrialization. For addressing these challenges, membrane technology has been widely investigated for reclamation and reuse of different streams of wastewater. Other than removal of macro-, micro- and nanopollutants from effluents, significant focus has been placed upon desalination efficiency of membranes as well. In comparison to conventional membranes, carbon nanotube (CNT)-based membranes have been found to exhibit superior antifouling and self-cleaning properties with very low energy consumption. This chapter describes different types of CNT-based membranes reported in contemporary research for water purification. It also highlights the drawbacks and future challenges of using CNT membranes for wastewater treatment. The different aspects of CNT membrane-based water purification compiled in this chapter will help the potential readers including academicians, membrane technologists, environmentalists, and industrialists aiming to alleviate water scarcity issues.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References and Future Readings
Anitha, K., Namsani, S., Singh, J.K.: Removal of heavy metal ions using a functionalized single-walled carbon nanotube: a molecular dynamics study. J. Phys. Chem. A 119(30), 8349–8358 (2015)
Ahn, C.H., Baek, Y., Lee, C., Kim, S.O., Kim, S., Lee, S., Kim, S.H., Bae, S.S., Park, J., Yoon, J.: Carbon nanotube-based membranes: fabrication and application to desalination. J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 18, 1551–1559 (2012)
Amini, M., Jahanshahi, M., Rahimpour, A.: Synthesis of novel thin film nanocomposite (TFN) forward osmosis membranes using functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes. J. Membr. Sci. 435, 233–241 (2013)
Bakajin, O., Noy, A., Fornasiero, F., Grigoropoulus, C.P., Holt, J.K., In, J.B., Kim, S., Park, H.G.: Nanofluidic carbon nanotube membranes: applications for water purification and desalination. In: Street, A., Sustich, R., Duncan, J., Savage, N. (eds.) Nanotechnol. Appl. Clean Water, pp. 77–93. Elsevier Inc., New York (2009)
Coping with water scarcity. A strategic issue and priority for system-wide action (UN-water, 2006)
Corry, B.: Designing carbon nanotube membranes for efficient water desalination. J. Phys. Chem. B112(5), 1427–1434 (2008)
Chi, W., Shi, H., Shi, W., Guo, Y., Guo, T.: 4-Nitrophenol surface molecularly imprinted polymers based on multiwalled carbon nanotubes for the elimination of paraoxon pollution. J. Hazard. Mater. 227, 243–249 (2012)
Choi, J.H., Jegal, J., Kim, W.N.: Fabrication and characterization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes/polymer blend membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 284(1), 406–415 (2006)
Chan, W.F., Chen, H., Surapathi, A., Taylor, M.G., Shao, X., Marand, E., Johnson, J.K.: Zwitterion functionalized carbon nanotube/polyamide nanocomposite membranes for water desalination. ACS Nano 7(6), 5308–5319 (2013)
Choi, H., Son, M., Choi, H.: Integrating seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation forward osmosis process using thin-film composite mixed matrix membrane with functionalized carbon nanotube blended polyethersulfone support layer. Chemosphere 185, 1181–1188 (2017)
Das, R., Ali, M.E., Hamid, S.B.A., Ramakrishna, S., Chowdhury, Z.Z.: Carbon nanotube membranes for water purification: a bright future in water desalination. Desalination 336, 97–109 (2014)
De Volder, M.F.L., Tawfick, S.H., Baughman, R.H., Hart, A.J.: Carbon nanotubes: present and future commercial applications. Science 339, 535–539 (2013)
Das, R., Vecitis, C.D., Schulze, A., Cao, B., Ismail, A.F., Lu, X., Chen, J., Ramakrishna, S.: Recent advances in nanomaterials for water protection and monitoring. RSC Chem. Soc. Rev. 46, 6946–7020 (2017)
Du, F., Qu, L., Xia, Z., Feng, L., Dai, L.: Membranes of vertically aligned superlong carbon nanotubes. Langmuir 27(13), 8437–8443 (2011)
Dumée, L., Lee, J., Sears, K., Tardy, B., Duke, M., Gray, S.: Fabrication of thin film composite poly(amide)-carbon-nanotube supported membranes for enhanced performance in osmotically driven desalination systems. J. Membr. Sci. 427, 422–430 (2013)
El Badawi, N., Ramadan, A.R., Esawi, A.M.K., El-Morsi, M.: Novel carbon nanotube–cellulose acetate nanocomposite membranes for water filtration applications. Desalination 344, 79–85 (2014)
Ghaemia, N., Madaeni, S.S., Daraei, P., Rajabi, H., Tahereh, S., Rahimpour, F., Shirvani, B.: PES mixed matrix nanofiltration membrane embedded with polymer wrapped MWCNT: fabrication and performance optimization in dye removal by RSM. J. Hazard. Mater. 298, 111–121 (2015)
Gao, W., Sun, X., Chen, T., Lin, Y., Chen, Y., Lu, F., Chen, Z.: Preparation of cyano-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes as solid-phase extraction sorbent for preconcentration of phenolic compounds in environmental water. J. Sep. Sci. 35, 1967–1976 (2012)
Goh, P.S., Ismail, A.F., Ng, B.C.: Carbon nanotubes for desalination: performance evaluation and current hurdles. Desalination 308, 2–14 (2013)
Hinds, B.J., Chopra, N., Rantell, T., Andrews, R., Gavalas, V., Bachas, L.G.: Aligned multiwalled carbon nanotube membranes. Science 303(5654), 62–65 (2004)
Hoover, L.A., Schiffman, J.D., Elimelech, M.: Nanofibers in thin-film composite membrane support layers: enabling expanded application of forward and pressure retarded osmosis. Desalination 308, 73–81 (2013)
Ho, K.C., Teow, Y.H., Ang, W.L., Mohammad, A.W.: Novel GO/OMWCNTs mixed-matrix membrane with enhanced antifouling property for palm oil mill effluent treatment. Sep. Purif. Technol. 177, 337–349 (2017)
Ihsanullah, Patel, F., Khraisheh, M., Atieh, M.A., Laoui, T.: Novel aluminum oxide-impregnated carbon nanotube membrane for the removal of cadmium from aqueous solution. Materials. 10, 1144 (2017)
Jame, S.A., Zhou, Z.: Electrochemical carbon nanotube filters for water and wastewater treatment. Nanotechnol. Rev. 5(1), 41–50 (2016)
Jafari, A., Mahvi, A.H., Nasseri, S., Rashidi, A., Nabizadeh, R., Rezaee, R.: Ultrafiltration of natural organic matter from water by vertically aligned carbon nanotube membrane. J. Environ. Heal. Sci. Eng. 13, 51 (2015)
Khin, M.M., Nair, A.S., Babu, V.J., Murugan, R., Ramakrishna, S.: A review on nanomaterials for environmental remediation. Energy Environ. Sci. 5(8), 8075–8109 (2012)
Kar, S., Bindal, R.C., Tewar, P.K.: Carbon nanotube membranes for desalination and water purification: challenges and opportunities. Nano Today 7, 385–389 (2012)
Kim, E.S., Hwang, G., El-Din, M.G., Liu, Y.: Development of nanosilver and multi-walled carbon nanotubes thin-film nanocomposite membrane for enhanced water treatment. J. Membr. Sci. 394–395, 37–48 (2012)
Lee, K.P., Arnot, T.C., Mattia, D.: A review of reverse osmosis membrane materials for desalination—development to date and future potential. J. Membr. Sci. 370, 1–22 (2011)
Lau, W.J., Gray, S., Matsuura, T., Emadzadeh, D., Chen, J.P., Ismail, A.F.: A review on polyamide thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes: history, applications, challenges and approaches. Water Res. 80(1), 306–324 (2015)
Liu, Y.B., Liu, H., Zhou, Z., Wang, T.R., Ong, C.N., Vecitis, C.D.: Degradation of the common aqueous antibiotic tetracycline using a carbon nanotube electrochemical filter. Environ. Sci. Technol. 49, 7974–7980 (2015)
Lee, C., Baik, S.: Vertically-aligned carbon nano-tube membrane filters with superhydrophobicity and superoleophilicity. Carbon 48, 2192–2197 (2010)
Lee, K.J., Park, H.D.: The most densified vertically-aligned carbon nanotube membranes and their normalized water permeability and high pressure durability. J. Membr. Sci. 501, 144–151 (2016)
Liu, H., Vecitis, C.D.: Reactive transport mechanism for organic oxidation during electrochemical filtration: mass-transfer, physical adsorption, and electron-transfer. J. Phys. Chem. C 116, 374–383 (2012)
Liu, H., Vajpayee, A., Vecitis, C.D.: Bismuth-doped tin oxide-coated carbon nanotube network: improved anode stability and efficiency for flow-through organic electrooxidation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 5, 10054–10066 (2013)
Liu, H., Liu, J., Liu, Y.B., Bertoldi, K., Vecitis, C.D.: Quantitative 2D electrooxidative carbon nanotube filter model: insight into reactive sites. Carbon 80, 651–664 (2014)
Liu, H., Zuo, K.C., Vecitis, C.D.: Titanium dioxide-coated carbon nanotube network filter for rapid and effective arsenic sorption. Environ. Sci. Technol. 48, 13871–13879 (2014)
Liu, Y., Xie, J., Ong, C.N., Vecitis, C.D., Zhou, Z.: Electrochemical wastewater treatment with carbon nanotube filters coupled with in situ generated H2O2. Environ. Sci. Water Res. Technol. 1, 769–778 (2015)
Majeed, S., Fierro, D., Buhr, K., Wind, J., Du, B., Boschetti-de-Fierro, A., Abetz, V.: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) mixed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ultrafiltration membranes. J. Membr. Sci. 403–404, 101–109 (2012)
Mahdavi, M.R., Delnavaz, M., Vatanpour, V., Farahbakhsh, J.: Effect of blending polypyrrole coated multiwalled carbon nanotube on desalination performance and antifouling property of thin film nanocomposite nanofiltration membranes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 184, 119–127 (2017)
Mishra, A.K., Ramaprabhu, S.: Magnetite decorated multiwalled carbon nanotube based supercapacitor for arsenic removal and desalination of seawater. J. Phys. Chem. C 114, 2583–2590 (2010)
Nasir, R., Mukhtar, H., Man, Z., Mohshim, D.F.: Material advancements in fabrication of mixed-matrix membranes. Chem. Eng. Technol. 36(5), 717–727 (2013)
Park, J., Choi, W., Kim, S.H., Chun, B.H., Bang, J., Lee, K.B.: Enhancement of chlorine resistance in carbon nanotube-based nanocomposite reverse osmosis membrane. Desalin. Water Treat. 15, 198–204 (2010)
Pan, B., Xing, B.: Adsorption mechanisms of organic chemicals on carbon nanotubes. Environ. Sci. Technol. 42, 9005–9013 (2008)
Panizza, M., Cerisola, G.: Direct and mediated anodic oxidation of organic pollutants. Chem. Rev. 109(12), 6541–6569 (2009)
Szpyrkowicz, L., Kaul, S., Neti, R.: Tannery wastewater treatment by electro-oxidation coupled with a biological process. J. Appl. Electrochem. 35, 381–390 (2005)
Schnoor, M.H., Vecitis, C.D.: Quantitative examination of aqueous ferrocyanide oxidation in a carbon nanotube electrochemical filter: effects of flow rate, ionic strength, and cathode material. J. Phys. Chem. C 117, 2855–2867 (2013)
Saranya, R., Arthanareeswaran, G., Dionysiou, D.D.: Treatment of paper mill effluent using polyethersulfone/functionalised multiwalled carbon nanotubes based nanocomposite membranes. Chem. Eng. J. 236, 369–377 (2014)
Su, F., Lu, C., Tai, J.H.: Separation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and P-xylene from aqueous solutions by carbon nanotubes/polyvinylidene fluoride nanocomposite membrane. J. Water Resour. Protect. 8, 913–928 (2016)
Son, M., Choi, H., Liu, L., Celik, E., Park, H., Choi, H.: Efficacy of carbon nanotube positioning in the polyethersulfone support layer on the performance of thin-film composite membrane for desalination. Chem. Eng. J. 266, 376–384 (2015)
Song, X., Wang, L., Tang, C.Y., Wang, Z., Gao, C.: Fabrication of carbon nanotubes incorporated double-skinned thin film nanocomposite membranes for enhanced separation performance and antifouling capability in forward osmosis process. Desalination 369, 1–9 (2015)
Van Hooijdonk, E., Bittencourt, C., Snyders, R., Colomer, J.F.: Functionalization of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes. Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 4(1), 129–152 (2013)
Vatanpour, V., Madaeni, S.S., Moradian, R., Zinadini, S., Astinchap, B.: Fabrication and characterization of novel antifouling nanofiltration membrane prepared from oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotube/polyethersulfone nanocomposite. J. Membr. Sci. 375, 284–294 (2011)
Vatanpour, V., Madaeni, S.S., Moradian, R., Zinadini, S., Astinchap, B.: Novel antibifouling nanofiltration polyethersulfone membrane fabricated from embedding TiO2 coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes. Sep. Purif. Technol. 90, 69–82 (2012)
Vecitis, C.D., Gao, G., Liu, H.: Electrochemical carbon nanotube filter for adsorption, desorption, and oxidation of aqueous dyes and anions. J. Phys. Chem. C 115, 3621–3629 (2011)
Vecitis, C.D., Schnoor, M.H., Rahaman, M.S., Schiffman, J.D., Elimelech, M.: Electrochemical multiwalled carbon nanotube filter for viral and bacterial removal and inactivation. Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 3672–3679 (2011)
Wu, M.B., Lv, Y., Yang, H.C., Liu, L.F., Zhang, X., Xu, Z.K.: Thin film composite membranes combining carbon nanotube intermediate layer and microfiltration support for high nanofiltration performances. J. Membr. Sci. 515, 238–244 (2016)
Wu, H., Sun, H., Hong, W., Mao, L., Liu, Y.: Improvement of polyamide thin film nanocomposite membrane assisted by tannic acid–FeIII functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces. 9(37), 32255–32263 (2017)
Xu, R., Wang, J., Kanezashi, M., Yoshioka, T., Tsuru, T.: Development of robust organosilica membranes for reverse osmosis. Langmuir 27, 13996–13999 (2011)
Yang, S., Hu, J., Chen, C., Shao, D., Wang, X.: Mutual effects of Pb(II) and humic acid adsorption on multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polyacrylamide composites from aqueous solutions. Environ. Sci. Technol. 45, 3621–3627 (2011)
Yang, H.Y., Han, Z.J., Yu, S.F., Pey, K.L., Ostrikov, K., Karnik, R.: Carbon nanotube membranes with ultrahigh specific adsorption capacity for water desalination and purification. Nat. Commun. 4, 2220 (2013)
Yu, M., Funke, H.H., Falconer, J.L., Noble, R.D.: High density, vertically-aligned carbon nanotube membranes. Nano Lett. 9(1), 225–229 (2009)
Yin, J., Zhu, G., Deng, B.: Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/polysulfone (PSU) mixed matrix hollow fiber membranes for enhanced water treatment. J. Membr. Sci. 437, 237–248 (2013)
Yu, F., Wu, Y., Li, X., Ma, J.: Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of toluene, ethylbenzene, and m-xylene adsorption from aqueous solutions onto KOH-activated multiwalled carbon nanotubes. J. Agric. Food Chem. 60, 12245–12253 (2012)
Zimmerman, C.M., Singh, A., Koros, W.J.: Tailoring mixed matrix composite membranes for gas separations. J. Membr. Sci. 137(1), 145–154 (1997)
Zhao, H., Qiu, S., Wu, L., Zhang, L., Chen, H., Gao, C.: Improving the performance of polyamide reverse osmosis membrane by incorporation of modified multi-walled carbon nanotubes. J. Membr. Sci. 450, 249–256 (2014)
Zinadini, S., Rostami, S., Vatanpour, V., Jalilian, E.: Preparation of antibifouling polyethersulfone mixed matrix NF membrane using photocatalytic activity of ZnO/MWCNTs nanocomposite. J. Membr. Sci. 529, 133–141 (2017)
Zheng, J., Li, M., Yu, K., Hu, J., Zhang, X., Wang, L.: Sulfonated multiwall carbon nanotubes assisted thin-film nanocomposite membrane with enhanced water flux and anti-fouling property. J. Membr. Sci. 524, 344–353 (2017)
Zhang, Q., Vecitis, C.D.: Conductive CNT-PVDF membrane for capacitive organic fouling reduction. J. Membr. Sci. 459, 143–156 (2014)
Acknowledgements
Authors acknowledge all members of Department of Environmental Science, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, and Department of Chemical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, for their constant support and suggestions.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Banerjee, P., Das, R., Das, P., Mukhopadhyay, A. (2018). Membrane Technology. In: Das, R. (eds) Carbon Nanotubes for Clean Water. Carbon Nanostructures. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95603-9_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95603-9_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95602-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95603-9
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials ScienceChemistry and Material Science (R0)