ZIF-67 derived Co/N carbon hollow fiber membrane with excellent decontamination performance

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) were appealing wastewater treatment options yet practices were hampered by reactor design and diminished performance in complex water matrices. Herein, one-step-pyrolysis strategy was proposed for large-scale synthesis of ZIF-67 derived conductive Co/N carbon hollow fiber ultrafiltration membrane to achieve exceptional availability of catalytic sites and interference prevention from macro molecular substances by size exclusion. Benefitting from the microenvironment modulation and electric field assistance (-1 V, membrane as the cathode), the bisphenol A (as a model micropollutant) can be efficiently removed with enhanced mass transfer of flow-through process (modified apparent reaction rate constant of 1260 mu M g(cat)(-1) s(-1)) and the active cobalt species were cycled via electroreduction thus showing exceptional sustainability with nearly zero Co leaching even after 24 h operation. The synergy effects between separation and catalysis alleviated the deteriorated AOPs efficiency and membrane fouling caused by macromolecular organic matter. The integrated membrane system provides new insight into rational design of catalytic membrane and system engineering for advanced water purification.

Automated summary

This study proposes a new method for synthesizing conductive nanofiber ultrafiltration membranes to improve wastewater treatment efficiency. The membrane can effectively remove micro-pollutants and has exceptional sustainability and membrane fouling prevention capability.