γ-Ray irradiation synthesized PAN-g-IL membrane for high-efficiency dye/oil–water emulsion separation with superior antifouling performance

The escalating industrial activities in metal processing, textile manufacturing, petroleum refining, leather production, and pulp industries have generated substantial amounts of industrial wastewater, presenting critical environmental challenges that require immediate attention. In this study, we developed a novel polyacrylonitrile grafted ionic liquid (PAN-g-IL) membrane through γ-ray irradiation-induced grafting of 1-vinyl-3-ethylimidazolium bromide onto polyacrylonitrile, followed by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) membrane fabrication [1] . The developed membrane exhibited exceptional separation performance for both dye-laden and oil-contaminated wastewater systems. The PAN-g-IL membrane demonstrated a pure water flux of 358.1 L m −2  h −1 with remarkable rejection rates exceeding 98% for cationic dyes, and for oil–water emulsions has a very good retention performance [2] , indicating superior antifouling properties and long-term operational stability.