Synthesis of Pec-Adn nanoparticle-modified PAN membranes for heavy metal removal: Characterization, performance evaluation, antifouling, and modeling

This research proposes a phase inversion technique that uses pectin and adenosine nanoparticles on a PAN NF (PAN/Pec-Adn NF) membrane to remove heavy metals (HMs). SEM, EDX, AFM, FTIR, WCA, stability, and zeta potential analysis were conducted to characterize the PAN/Pec-Adn NF membrane's performance. The central composite design (CCD) was employed for the optimization of the HMs rejection in terms of parameters like pH, pressure, and HMs concentrations. Porosity, pore size, and WCA of the PAN/Pec-Adn NF membrane were 87.63%, 1.023 nm, and 58.41 ° , respectively. The PAN/Pec-Adn NF membrane fabrication leveraged strong intermolecular interactions, confirmed by FTIR ( C = O , Amide I) and a ‐ ‐ 32.94 mV zeta potential, ensuring stable integration. The tensile strength enhanced from 4.02 t o 9.22 MPa at 0.1 wt % NPs. The pure water flux (PWF) was 9.54 kg/m 2 .h, and the rejection rates of Pb and Cr were 97.61% and 90.56%, respectively ( p < 0.0001 ). Antifouling properties of the NF membrane were investigated through milk filtration. The PAN/Pec-Adn NF membrane with 0.1 wt% of NP s had a high antifouling ability (FRR 91.61%, R r 51.82% and R ir 8.38%). This study demonstrated that the fabricated PAN/Pec-Adn NF membrane is a promising filter for the removal of HMs from effluents.