The adsorptive removal of chromium (VI) in aqueous solution by novel natural zeolite based hollow fibre ceramic membrane

Adsorption is one of the most efficient ways to remove heavy metal from wastewater. In this study, the adsorptive removal of hexavalent chromium, Cr (VI) from aqueous solution was investigated using natural zeolite, clinoptilolite, in the form of hollow fibre ceramic membrane (HFCM). The HFCM sample was prepared using phase inversion-based extrusion technique and followed by sintering process at different sintering temperatures in the range of 900–1050 °C. The fabricated HFCM was characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), contact angle, water permeability, and mechanical strength for all HFCMs sintered at different temperatures. The adsorption and filtration test of Cr (VI) were performed using an in-house water permeation set up with a dead-end cross-flow permeation test. An asymmetric structure with sponge- and finger-like structures across the cross-section of HFCM was observed using SEM. Based on the characterisation data, 1050 °C was chosen to be the best sintering temperature as the water permeability and mechanical strength of this HFCM were 29.14 L/m2∙h and 50.92 MPa, respectively. The performance of the HFCM in adsorption/filtration was 44% of Cr (VI) removal at the Cr (VI) concentration of 40 mg/L and pH 4. In addition, the mathematical model was also performed in simulating the experimental data obtained from this study. All in all, the natural zeolite-based HFCM has a potential as a single-step Cr (VI) removal by membrane adsorption for the wastewater treatment.