حبیب اعتمادی

In this study, a biopolymer-based adsorptive membrane was designed for simultaneous removal of differently charged heavy metals from water. Polylactic acid (PLA)/hydroxyapatite (HAp) adsorptive membranes with various content of HAp were fabricated using the non-solvent induced phase separation method. The effect of incorporating different weight content of HAp ranging from 0 to 3.0 wt% was studied on the structural morphology, hydrophilicity, porosity, mechanical properties, pure water permeability, and lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) adsorption capacity of the fabricated membranes. The results revealed that adsorptive membrane with 2.5 wt% HAp exhibited high porosity and hydrophilicity, acceptable mechanical strength, and ultrahigh pure water flux (1100 L m −2 h −1 ). This membrane showed proper removal efficiency in batch adsorption, 97% for Pb and 82% for As solutions (100 ppb), which are comparable to most of the readily available adsorbents. Dynamic adsorption results divulged that the adsorptive membrane with 2.5 wt% HAp content provided a promising filtrate of Pb and As solutions with a concentration below 10 ppb for even four and five consequent regeneration cycles. Additionally, the adsorptive performance of the optimum HAp content membrane was better than batch adsorption, especially in Pb removal