PES/Fe3S4@Al2O3 self-cleaning membrane with rapid catalysis for effective emulsion separation and dye degradation

Photo-Fenton membranes exhibit exceptional self-cleaning and anti-fouling performances, making them promising for oil/water separation applications. However, the practical use of photo-Fenton catalytic reaction is limited as it requires an acidic environment. In this study, a polyethersulfone (PES)/Fe3S4@Al2O3 membrane was fabricated using nonsolvent-induced phase separation. This resulted in a photo-Fenton separation membrane with a broad pH range applicability, leveraging the high catalytic activity of Fe3S4 and the unique Lewis acid properties of Al2O3. The findings indicate that the optimized membranes can achieve a separation efficiency of over 99.3 % for various oil/water emulsions. The membrane demonstrates exceptional self-cleaning performance and stability, maintaining a separation efficiency of over 99 % even after 10 cycles of oil/water emulsion separation. Additionally, the membrane exhibited a catalytic degradation efficiency of 100 % for MB, RhB and MO under visible light in pH range of 2–12. The high separation efficiency, stability, self-cleaning performance, and wide pH range of these membranes make them promising candidates for long-term oily wastewater purification.