A Mini Review on Membrane Potential for Pharmaceutical and Personal Care Product (PPCP) Removal from Water

• Published in: Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
• Main Author: Ntone E.P.N.; Rahman S.A.; Abdul Wahab M.S.; Samah R.A.; Ahmad A.L.
• Format: Review
• Language: English
• Published: Institute for Ionics 2023
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85163026691&doi=10.1007%2fs11270-023-06450-1&partnerID=40&md5=62c321f93003f017539147a4799b749b

Recently, environmental awareness has grown due to the emergence of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) as pollutants that ended up in water bodies and become a threat to the aquatic ecosystem and clean water sources. To solve this worldwide clean water dilemma, new environmentally friendly technology is required. Membrane technology for PPCP removal provides several advantages over other methods such as conventional wastewater treatment plant, advanced tertiary treatments (ATTs), adsorption activated carbon (AAC), and advanced oxidation process (AOP). Many studies have proven the effectiveness of membrane technology for PPCP removal from water resource, yet, the major challenge is still there: membrane fouling. In order to overcome this challenge, functionalization of membrane has been introduced. The modification or functionalization of membranes through the addition of nanomaterial, MOFs, and microorganisms successfully assists in better hydrophilicity, high water flux, excellent permeability, and fouling resistance of the membrane. This study provides a thorough analysis of membrane materials, methods for fabricating membranes, and a clear grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each. It also describes how microbes, metal–organic frameworks, and nanomaterials could functionalize the polymeric and inorganic membranes. Finally, the removal of PPCPs using polymeric and inorganic membranes is explored. For record, up to 99% of bisphenol A (BPA) was removed using interfacial polymerization of PSF polymeric membrane. Also, 99.74% of diclofenac was removed using phase inversion method of PES polymeric membrane. This proves that membrane technology is a promising path for water treatment and purification. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Goals 3 and 14, which are excellent health and well-being and life below the ocean respectively, are in line with this topic. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.