Polyvinyl Alcohol Embedded Activated Clay/Hydroxyapatite Membranes for Fouling Control During the Removal of an Organic Dye in Water

ABSTRACT Membrane technology is increasingly becoming a solution in wastewater treatment from textiles and dyeing, however, it has a continuing challenge on membrane fouling. In this study, we developed a series of hybrid activated clay (AC)/hydroxyapatite (HA)‐polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) composite membranes for fouling control during the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from simulated wastewater. AC and HA, known for their dye‐sorption capabilities, were prepared in various ratios and incorporated as fillers in PVA to form composite membranes (PVA/AC/HA). Various characterization techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy dispersive x‐ray (EDX), zeta potential (ZP), and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the structure, morphology and crystallinity of the fillers and membranes. The integration of AC and HA significantly influenced the structure, filtration performance, antifouling properties and hydrophilic nature of the membranes. Results indicated that the membrane with a 2:1 (AC: HA) ratio was most effective in MB removal. This membrane demonstrated optimal porosity and pure water flux (PWF) of 34.4% and 70.3 L/m 2 /h, respectively. Furthermore, it achieved a peak MB dye rejection rate of 95.5% and exhibited the highest flux recovery rate of 83.9%, highlighting its superior antifouling performance.