Application of thin film cellulose composite membrane for dye wastewater reuse

The use of low cost membranes with high salt/dye selectivity and high flux is ideal for an economic and eco-friendly treatment of dye wastewater. Here, regenerated cellulose membranes prepared from trimethylsilyl cellulose are studied for treating artificial dye effluents. In the experiments using a feed containing Congo Red and high NaCl concentration, the membrane featured impressive dye removal with zero salt rejection combined with high flux. More interestingly, the membrane reached as much as 600 LMH flux at 80 °C and 4 bar while maintaining high dye rejection close to 98%. In prolonged experiments up to 75 h the membrane exhibited good antifouling behavior with nearly 100% flux recovery. This study may provide a promising alternative of dye effluent treatment where high amounts of monovalent salts are present.