Simultaneous separation of multiphase emulsion mixture and catalytic degradation of BPA via microalgae residue membranes

The advancement and exploitation of modern industry has a significant and far-reaching impact on water environment, prompting to development of advanced technologies for the filtration of oil/water emulsion mixtures and purification of soluble organic contaminants. However, bifunctional materials capable of continuously filtrating multiphase emulsion mixtures and degrading soluble organic contaminants from wastewater are still a concerning issue. Herein, a dual prewetted underwater superoleophobic and underoil superhydrophobic microalgae residue membrane (DMRM) hybrid was developed, which demonstrated outstanding performance in the filtration of multiphase emulsion mixtures and catalytic degradation of microplastics-released BPA. The combination of underoil superhydrophobic oil-containing region (OCR) with underwater superoleophobic water-containing region (WCR) in an integrated membrane promoted successive filtration of multiphase emulsion mixtures. Additionally, DMRM serves as a high-performance carbocatalyst for peroxydisulfate (PS) activation of rapid elimination of BPA. The reagents used in the integrated DMRM/PS system were optimized in a safety dose evaluation by the osteoblasts viability. Hence, the presented results will inspire the future comprehensive environmentally friendly treatment of wastewater with integrated systems and advanced membrane technology.