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Arsenate removal from aqueous solutions using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration

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Abstract

In this study, arsenate (As-V) removal using micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) modified by cationic surfactants was studied by a dead-end polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane apparatus. The UF membrane has been produced by a phase inversion process. The prepared membrane was characterized and analyzed for morphology and membrane properties. The influence of operating parameters such as initial concentrations of As-V, surfactants, pH, membrane thickness, and co-existing anions on the removal of As-V, surfactant rejection, and permeate flux have been studied. The experimental results show that from the two different cationic surfactants used the CPC (cetyl-pyridinium chloride) efficiency (91.7%) was higher than that of HTAB (hexadecyltrimethyl-ammonium bromide) (83.7%). The highest As-V removal was 100%, and was achieved using initial feed concentrations of 100–1000 μg/L, at pH 7 with a membrane thickness of 150 μm in a dead-end filtration system. This efficiency for As-V removal was similar to that obtained using a cross-flow system. Nevertheless, this flux reduction was less than the reduction achieved in the dead-end filtration process. The PAN fabricated membrane in comparison to the RO and NF processes selectively removed the arsenic and the anions, in the water taken from the well, and had no substantial effect on the cations.

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Acknowledgements

This manuscript is extracted from the Ph.D. thesis of the first author and approved by the Environmental Health Research Center and funded by the Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences (IR.MUK.REC.1394/57). The authors offer their thanks to the sponsors of the project. We also thank Prof. Mohammad Ali Zazouli for the scientific comments in editing the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environmental Health Research Center, Research Institute for Health Development, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Sanandaj, Iran

    Pegah Bahmani, Afshin Maleki, Reza Rezaee, Saeed Dehestani Athar, Hiua Daraei & Fardin Gharibi

  2. Center for Solid Waste Research, Institute for Environmental Research, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Amir Hossein Mahvi

  3. Faculty of Engineering, University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

    Mehrdad Khamforoush

  4. Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Education City, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar

    Gordon McKay

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  1. Pegah Bahmani
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Bahmani, P., Maleki, A., Rezaee, R. et al. Arsenate removal from aqueous solutions using micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration. J Environ Health Sci Engineer 17, 115–127 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-018-00332-z

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