Polyethersulfone Membrane Nano-Modified with MoS2-CeO2 for the Effective Separation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions

Due to the rapid growth of industrial operations, a substantial volume of oily wastewater is produced globally, posing threats to both human health and the environment. Polyethersulfone (PES) Ultrafiltration (UF) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) embedded with hydrophilic Molybdenum Disulphide - Cerium Dioxide (MoS2-CeO2) nanohybrid powder were prepared via non-solvent induced phase inversion (NIPS) method to remove oil from oil in water emulsions. The nanocomposite membranes were systematically characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), zeta potential (ζ), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Several characteristics of the prepared membrane were evaluated, including pore size, porosity, water contact angle (WCA), and pure water flux (PWF). The membranes’ performance was evaluated through a series of filtration experiments using 100 ppm, 500 ppm, and 1000 ppm concentrations of surfactant stabilized (SS) oil in water emulsions as a feed into a dead-end UF filtration setup. The incorporation of the nanohybrid has improved the performance and structure of pristine membranes. At a loading of 0.5 wt.% MoS₂-CeO₂/PES, the modified nanocomposite membrane reported a high oil rejection efficiency of 98.7%, and enhanced the PWF, and permeation by 65%, and 153%, respectively. Furthermore, the membrane's reusability and antifouling properties were evaluated across five filtration cycles, revealing its significant potential for oil-in-water separation applications.