Emerging mixed matrix membranes based on zeolite nanoparticles and cellulose acetate for water desalination

Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for reverse osmosis (RO) have become a significant target in various research. Herein, cellulose acetate membranes (CA) with Linde Type A (LTA) Zeolite Nanoparticles (ZNPs) were investigated as MMMs using the dry–wet phase inversion technique. Different percentages of LTA ZNPs were added to study their effect on the prepared MMMs. The hydrophilicity was studied by contact angle measurement. In addition, the performance of the MMMs was investigated through the RO unit cell using 10,000 ppm NaCl solution. It was shown that the salt rejection was found to be 86.8%, with a permeate water flux of 1.78 L/m2 h at 10 bar with 0.09 g of ZNPs compared with the pristine CA membrane which had a 96.5% salt rejection with a permeate water flux of 1 L/m2 h. On the other hand, the highest salt rejection obtained by this nanocomposite was 95.5% with 0.07 g ZNPs and permeate water flux of 1.3 L/m2 h.