PPS/TA-PEI/β-FeOOH membranes with powerful photo-Fenton self-cleaning capability for efficient oil–water emulsion separation

• For the first time, photo-Fenton is combined with PPS membrane materials. • By introducing β-FeOOH photocatalyst , PPS substrates gain self-cleaning ability. • The modified membranes can be utilized for the separation of O/W emulsions. • The fabricated membranes possess superior anti-fouling performance. • The fabricated membranes are highly efficient in degrading organic pollutants . Polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) microporous membranes have garnered extensive research enthusiasm concerning their outstanding permeation performance and separation accuracy in treating oily wastewater. Nevertheless, the inherent hydrophobic chemical structure, along with the noticeable concentration polarization effect, predisposes them to severe membrane contamination during the separation process. Accordingly, it is desirable to design a PPS self-cleaning membrane with superior anti-fouling capability, fast transport, and remarkable flux recovery. This study marks the first combination of PPS membrane materials with the photo-Fenton process. In detail, the polyphenol (tannic acid, TA)-polycation (polyethyleneimine, PEI)-metal ion (Fe 3+ ) double cross-linking coatings were first assembled on the PPS substrate surface. Subsequently, β-FeOOH photocatalysts were synthesized through in-situ mineralization to further strengthen the hydrophilicity of the membranes. The obtained PPS/TA-PEI/β-FeOOH composite membrane achieved exceptional separation of diverse oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. The PPS/TA-PEI/β-FeOOH membranes exhibited in-air superhydrophilic and under-water superoleophobicity, exhibiting under-water oil contact angles greater than 151° for diverse oil agents. The fabricated composite membranes displayed high permeability (a flux of the petroleum ether-in-water (P/W) emulsion reached 3400.5 L m −2 h −1 bar −1 driven by a pressure of 0.05 MPa) along with ideal oil rejection (98.6 %). Significantly, the PPS/TA-PEI/β-FeOOH membrane possessed powerful photo-Fenton self-cleaning capability, and its flux recoveries of the contaminated membrane exceeded 90.3 % for varied O/W emulsions after being cleaned by visible light for 10 min. We believe that our research presents a novel approach for the exploitation of PPS-based photo-Fenton self-cleaning membranes, which also exhibit great applicative potential in oily wastewater treatment.