A novel nanocomposite membrane containing modified cellulose nanocrystals for copper ion removal and dye adsorption from water

The aim of this study was developing novel membranes based on polyethersulfone (PES) as matrix and amine functionalized cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) as nanofiller for copper ion and direct red-16 removal from water. The surface modification of CNC was performed using (3-aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES) and confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Then, PES membranes were prepared by embedding various concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%) of modified CNC (MCNC). The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of copper ions was 90% for membranes containing 1 wt% MCNC. Dye removal percentage was 89% for neat PES and increased to 99% for 1 wt% MCNC loading. The outcomes of this study demonstrated that incorporating this type of modified CNC in PES membranes improved the efficacy of impurities removal from water and can be suggested as a simple technique for water filtration.