PAN chelating membranes for simultaneous removal of metallic ions and organic pollutants from aqueous solution

The chelating membrane was prepared by introducing amidoxime groups on to the surface of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ultra filtration (UF) membrane to remove simultaneously the metallic ions and organic pollutants from aqueous solution. The performance of chelating membrane were investigated in terms of membrane flux, bovine serum albumin (BSA) rejection and removal rate of ions. The results showed that the amidoxime groups were successfully introduced onto PAN UF membrane, resulting in the rough membrane surface associated with increased hydrophobic properties. The chelating membrane exhibited a higher BSA rejection rate than original UF membrane, but had a relatively lower membrane flux. It was feasible to remove effectively Cu 2+ and Pb 2+ ions from aqueous solution by chelating membrane. Removal of metal ions for the chelating membrane followed this order: Cu 2+ > Pb 2+ > Cd 2+ . As to the least preferentially adsorbed ion (Cd 2+ ion), the removal rate could be significantly increased from 32% to73% in the presence of BSA due to the complexation of metal ion with protein.