PES/Fe3S4@NiO self-cleaning membrane with rapid catalysis for effective emulsion separation and dye degradation

The Fenton membrane is effective in removing organic pollutants from wastewater through the synergy of Fenton catalysis and membrane separation. However, the preparation of a Fenton membrane with excellent self-cleaning performance, catalytic ability, and stability remains a key research direction. Herein, a polyethersulfone (PES)/Fe3S4@NiO membrane was obtained via a non-solvent phase inversion method. The intercalation of photo-Fenton catalytic Fe3S4@NiO into the PES membrane can not only enhance the hydrophilicity but also endow the membrane with photo-Fenton catalytic activity. The separation efficiency of the obtained membrane for multiple oil-in-water emulsions exceeded 98.8%. In addition, the membrane presented excellent self-cleaning performance and stability, the separation efficiency remained high and stable even after 10 cycles of oil-in-water emulsions. Meanwhile, the effective degradation of several organic dyes under visible light was simulated; results showed that the membrane can achieve nearly 100% degradation of methylene blue in 9 min as well as rhodamine B and methyl orange in 3 min, and this membrane maintained high degradation efficiency (>98.7%) even after 5 cycles. Therefore, the results indicate that this PES/Fe3S4@NiO membrane has excellent separation performance and photo-Fenton activity, and the proposed membrane has a potential application scope for efficient emulsion separation and speedy dye degradation.