Preparation and characterization of polypropylene nanofibrous membrane for the filtration of textile wastewater

Abstract A fibrous membrane being prepared from nanofiber is of great demand for super‐efficient filtration of industrial wastewater. This study reported a highly efficient noanofibrous membrane made of superfine polypropylene (PP) nanofiber with an average diameter of only 228 nm and that had also demonstrated a direct influence of fiber diameter on its properties and performance for textile wastewater purification. The PP nanofibers were prepared with a varying content of PP/ethylene‐co‐vinyl alcohol (EVOH) blends from which the EVOH matrix was removed after electrospinning. Subsequently, the PP nanofibrous membranes were manufactured using the prepared PP nanofibers via a simple wet‐laid process. The fiber diameter turned out to be an important factor in the surface properties and pore characteristics of the PP nanofibrous membrane. The finer PP nanofiber constructed a compact fibrous mesh structure of the membrane leading to an optimum porosity, a high hydrophobicity, and a smaller mean pore size with a narrower distribution. The filtration performance of the nanofibrous membrane for dyeing wastewater has also evidenced the potentiality of the finer PP nanofiber. Moreover, in comparison with the commercial PP fibrous membrane, the developed PP membrane was found to be more promising.