Investigation of 2D-carbon-based membranes with adjustable pores for aqueous low-pressure ultrafiltration
Gardenö D, Wieczorek J, Weber T, Kaspereit M, Cicvárek O, Sofer Z, Friess K (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
Journal
Book Volume: 14
Article Number: 124980
Journal Issue: 6
DOI: 10.1016/j.jece.2026.124980
Abstract
This work presents a novel application of two-dimensional carbon nanotube (CNT)-based membranes as a low-pressure alternative to ultrafiltration (UF) for separating micropollutants from water, using polydisperse polyethylene glycol (PEG) aqueous solutions as an example. Composite CNT membranes with a graphene oxide (GO) skin, modified with bivalent cations (Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba), exhibited significantly improved material properties, augmented thermal and chemical stability, and a more sustainable synthesis process compared to polymers, while addressing the challenge of tunable pore sizes. Material properties were further characterized by SEM-EDS, ATR-FTIR, Raman, XRD, TGA, Tensiometer, Zetasizer, ICP-MS, and a 3D profilometer. The rejection properties were assessed using the one-filtration method at 2 and 4 bar transmembrane pressure with PEG mixtures (400 Da to 35 kDa). The best-performing CNT-GO membranes doped with chlorides of low-cost alkaline earth metals achieved PEG retention of more than 90%. The results show that the prepared two-dimensional carbon-based composite membranes are stable in aqueous media, and their performance can be tailored to optimize permeate flux and PEG retention at significantly lower pressures than comparable UF processes. Additionally, retention for two commercially available dyes (Methylene blue and Rhodamine B) was successfully demonstrated under the same low-pressure conditions.
Authors with CRIS profile
Johannes Wieczorek
Lehrstuhl für Thermische Verfahrenstechnik (TVT)
Malte Kaspereit
Professur für Thermische Verfahrenstechnik
Involved external institutions
Czech Republic (CZ)How to cite
APA:
Gardenö, D., Wieczorek, J., Weber, T., Kaspereit, M., Cicvárek, O., Sofer, Z., & Friess, K. (2026). Investigation of 2D-carbon-based membranes with adjustable pores for aqueous low-pressure ultrafiltration. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2026.124980
MLA:
Gardenö, Dániel, et al. "Investigation of 2D-carbon-based membranes with adjustable pores for aqueous low-pressure ultrafiltration." Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering 14.6 (2026).
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