Development of high flux photocatalytic agcl-cooh-mwcnt/pes ultrafiltration membranes for enhanced waste water treatment and fouling mitigation

A structurally stable AgCl-COOH MWCNT/PES composite membrane was designed and fabricated by combining phase conversion and post-treatment techniques, which can solve the serious membrane fouling in industrial wastewater treatment. The carboxylation of MWCNTs not only enhanced their dispersion but also facilitated their binding with silver chloride, resulting in a stable composite structure that significantly improved contaminant degradation capabilities. The post-treatment technique increased the membrane’s water purification flux by 150 % (reaching 520 L·m 2 ·h −1 ·bar −1 ) while maintaining a high BSA retention rate of 95 %. Additionally, the composite membrane demonstrated excellent photocatalytic antifouling properties, with a flux recovery rate of 91.8 % under UV irradiation, and exhibited more than 99 % inhibition of Escherichia coli. This method provides a scalable solution for enhancing the performance of PES membranes in wastewater treatment applications.