Removal of endocrine disrupting chemicals from water through urethane functionalization of microfiltration membranes via electron beam irradiation

Highlights

● Urethane functionalities created on PES membranes via electron beam irradiation.

● Water contact angle decreased from 58° to 52°, higher hydrophilicity.

● 13% increase in water permeability via functionalization.

● 17β-estradiol adsorption enhanced by five times.

● Functionalized membranes reused for three cycles without a loss of adsorption capacity.

Abstract

Polyethersulphone (PES) membranes modified with urethane functional groups were prepared through an interfacial reaction using electron beam irradiation. The removal of eight endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) was studied using both pristine and functionalized PES membranes. The prepared membranes underwent characterization using several techniques, including attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, contact angle analysis, and measurements of pure water flux. Furthermore, dynamic adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the adsorption mechanism of the prepared membrane toward the eight EDCs. The urethane functionalized membranes were hydrophilic (52° contact angle) and maintained a high permeate flux (26000 L/h m² bar) throughout the filtration process. Dynamic adsorption results demonstrated that the introduction of urethane functional groups on the membranes significantly enhanced the removal efficiency of 17β-estradiol, estriol, bisphenol A, estrone, ethinylestradiol, and equilin. The adsorption loading of 17β-estradiol on the functionalized PES membrane was 6.7 ± 0.7 mg/m², exhibiting a 5-fold increase compared to the unmodified PES membrane. The membranes were successfully regenerated and reused for three adsorption cycles without experiencing any loss of adsorption capacity.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

Surface functionalization / Electron beam irradiation / Microfiltration / Endocrine disrupting chemicals

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Conflict of Interests

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-024-1805-6 and is accessible for authorized users.

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Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.

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