Development of CO2-Responsive Draw Solution for Trace Antibiotic Wastewater Treatment

Ling Lei; Jiaxiang Wang; Feng Tian; Mingjie Yin; Wentao Wang; Mengna Li; Liangliang Dong

doi:10.1007/s12209-026-00468-2

Transactions of Tianjin University ›› :1 -13. DOI: 10.1007/s12209-026-00468-2

Research Article

research-article

Development of CO₂-Responsive Draw Solution for Trace Antibiotic Wastewater Treatment

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¹Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, 214122, Wuxi, China

²Beijing Key Laboratory for Green Catalysis and Separation, Department of Chemical Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, 100124, Beijing, China

³School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 310018, Hangzhou, China

^a mengnali@jiangnan.edu.cn

Ling Lei

Ling Lei received her Bachelor’s degree in materials chemistry from Zhoukou Normal University, China, in 2023. She is currently a graduate student under the supervision of Prof. Liangliang Dong at Jiangnan University. Her research focuses on the design of CO2-responsive draw solutions and the investigation of membrane performance in forward osmosis (FO).

Mengna Li

Mengna Li received her BS degree (2015) from Jiangnan University, MS degree (2018) from Shandong University, and PhD (2025) from the University of Regina, Canada. She is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Jiangnan University. Her research interests focus on the design of CO2-responsive membranes, water and wastewater treatment, and membrane-based separation technologies. She has published 20 peer-reviewed journal papers.

Liangliang Dong

Liangliang Dong received his BS degree (2010), MS degree (2013), and Ph.D. (2018) from Jiangnan University. In 2016, he attended the University of Sherbrooke in Canada for joint doctoral training under the supervision of Professor Yue Zhao and received a PhD from the University of Sherbrooke in 2018. He is currently a professor at the School of Chemistry and Materials Engineering at Jiangnan University, with research interests in CO2-responsive membranes, gas separation membranes and nanofiltration membranes. He has acted as director of the 41st Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC), a member of the Youth Working Committee of the CIESC, and a member of the second session of the Daily Chemical Products Specialized Committee of the CIESC. He received the prestigious Young Scientist Award at the second International Congress on Separation and Purification Technology (ISPT 2024).

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Abstract

The detection of trace antibiotics in aquatic environments poses a critical global challenge, threatening both ecological safety and public health. Forward osmosis (FO) membrane separation technology has emerged as a highly efficient approach for purification of trace antibiotics, characterized by high treatment efficiency and low energy consumption. However, challenges inherent to the recycling of draw solutions restrict the development of FO technology. Herein, we report the synthesis and application of a novel CO₂-responsive SiO₂@PDEA nanocomposite as a highly recyclable particulate draw solution. This system leverages CO₂/heat-triggered reversible switching between hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity to enable facile recovery. The 6 wt% SiO₂@PDEA solution leads to a significantly enhanced water flux (J_w) to 5.31 LMH (PRO mode), a threefold increase over bare SiO₂. Crucially, the ratio of reverse solute flux (J_s) to J_w was minimized to 0.015 g/L, providing a substantial cost advantage over inorganic salts. The efficiency of this approach enabled a threefold concentration of tetracycline. Furthermore, the solution demonstrated outstanding cyclic stability with a solute recovery rate consistently exceeding 99% via mild thermal stimulation. These findings demonstrate that SiO₂@PDEA is an exceptionally efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective draw solution with substantial potential for the practical remediation of trace antibiotic-containing wastewater.

Keywords

Forward osmosis / CO₂-responsive draw solution / Negligible reverse solute flux / Trace antibiotics purification

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Ling Lei, Jiaxiang Wang, Feng Tian, Mingjie Yin, Wentao Wang, Mengna Li, Liangliang Dong. Development of CO₂-Responsive Draw Solution for Trace Antibiotic Wastewater Treatment. Transactions of Tianjin University 1-13 DOI:10.1007/s12209-026-00468-2

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