Composite polyaniline-zeolite membrane material for wastewater ultrafiltration

Both polyaniline and zeolites have been strongly studied for their use in techniques and technologies for water treatment. The composite polyaniline-zeolite membrane material prepared in this work is intended to be used for wastewater ultrafiltration having a complex composition: cations (Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+) and phenolic derivatives (phenol, aminophenols or nitrophenols) commonly met on drugs and dyes manufacturing platforms or in textile and leather industries. The membrane material is obtained by polymerization of aniline on synthetic zeolite matrices. The polyaniline-zeolite material (PANI-Zeolite) was characterized in terms of morphology (SEM, HR-SEM), structure (EDAX, FTIR) and process performances - complex synthetic solutions ultrafiltration: cations (Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+), 10-4-10-6 M and phenolic derivatives (phenol, aminophenols and nitrophenols), 10-4-10-6 M. The obtained results show that the developed composite polyaniline-zeolite membrane material is superior both to polyaniline and zeolite individually, retaining the potentially toxic chemical species (phenol or metal ions) from wastewater and producing benefic effects on the environment.