Pyrolysis-derived recovered glass fiber-engineered ultrafiltration membrane for dyeing wastewater treatment

A waste-to-membrane strategy enabled RGFs as functional fillers for dye treatment. • RGFs modification tuned the membrane pore structure. • Synergistic RGFs/SBMA improved membrane strength and durability. • Membrane permeability doubled while dye rejection remained above 98%. Organic dye contamination in wastewater poses a persistent challenge for large-scale treatment due to the chemical stability and limited biodegradability of dye molecules. Although membrane separation provides high removal efficiency, its large-scale application is often hindered by high fabrication cost and severe surface fouling. Herein, we propose an integrated “waste-to-membrane” strategy that converts end-of-life wind turbine blades into value-added ultrafiltration membranes for dyeing wastewater treatment. Recovered glass fibers (RGFs) obtained from fluidized-bed pyrolysis were incorporated into polyethersulfone (PES) membranes to tailor pore architecture and enhance mechanical robustness, followed by dopamine-assisted deposition to construct a hydration-enhanced antifouling interface. The optimized membrane with a glass fiber loading of 100 g·L −1 exhibited more than a twofold increase in water permeability compared to the pristine membrane, while consistently maintaining dye rejection >98% for macromolecular anionic dyes. AFM results revealed that the increased surface roughness was a key factor for the enhanced water permeability, while pore size distribution and zeta potential analysis confirmed that the synergistic regulation of RGF and SBMA improved dye rejection through size sieving and surface charge effects. Hydration-enhanced membranes achieved high dye rejection and substantially improved antifouling stability, extending the continuous operating duration by ~20× compared with pristine PES membranes. This work provides a scalable and practically viable route for integrating composite-waste thermochemical recycling with membrane engineering, offering a cost-effective solution for long-term, high-flux dye wastewater treatment and advancing the sustainable management of end-of-life wind turbine blades.