High-flux efficient catalytic membranes incorporated with iron-based Fenton-like catalysts for degradation of organic pollutants

A novel composite catalytic membrane is developed by blending silicon oxide coated ferroferric oxide (Fe3O4@SiO2) nanoparticles in polyether sulfone (PES) membrane as Fenton-like catalysts via liquid-induced phase separation (LIPS) method. By introducing Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles in PES membrane matrix, the surface hydrophilicity, porosity and mean pore diameter of as-prepared composite catalytic membranes are improved due to the hydrophilic nature of the SiO2 coating layer on the Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles. The as-fabricated catalytic membrane can filter large particles above ~100 nm and shows a high water flux of 2084 kg m−2 h−1 under 0.1 MPa. Importantly, the composite catalytic membrane shows efficient catalytic performance and satisfactory stability in the degradation of organic pollutants based on the Fenton-like reaction mechanism. The proposed strategy for membrane fabrication and the experimental results in this study provide valuable guidance for developing high-flux catalytic membranes with efficient catalytic performances for treatment of industrial and municipal wastewater.