Sustainable Approaches for the Fabrication of Nanocellulose-Polyamide Membrane Based on Waste Date Palm Leaves for Water Treatment

Abstract:

A vast amount of agricultural waste, such as dried leaves, stems, pits, seeds, etc., are produced by date palm trees in Saudi Arabia each year. This waste is an excellent source of degradable biomass suitable for many uses. Crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) is one of the most important nanomaterials that can be used in various applications. Due to its unique properties, which include biorenewability, optical transparency, high mechanical strengths, and sustainability, nanocrystalline cellulose has become a significant nanomaterial in recent years. In this study, CNC was isolated from the waste date palm leaves and used for the production of PA-modified membranes for water treatment by reverse osmosis membrane technology. The membranes were prepared by surface polymerization with the polyamide as a selective layer on the polysulfone support film. Three membranes were produced, two with 0.01% and 0.02% (w/v) CNC and the third with PA-free CNC for comparison. Each membrane produced was tested using different characterization techniques. The polyamide membrane with 0.01% w/v CNC had a higher water permeability of 43.25 L/m² h bar than the membranes with 0% w/v CNC (36.25 L/m² h) and 0.02% w/v CNC (42.85 L/m² h bar). Under the same conditions, salt retention was also found to be above 98% for both NaCl and MgSO4 for the two modified membranes. The contact angle was found to be 68.04±3.7, 72.83±0.8, and 63.76±5.5 for PA(0%CNC), PA-CNC (0.01% w/v), and PA-CNC (0.02% w/v), respectively. The 0.01% PA-CNC membrane exhibited a higher water contact angle, greater hydrophobicity and lower surface roughness. As a result, the isolated CNC might be appropriate for use as a modifier agent for membrane fabrication and water treatment.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 985)
• Pages: 53-74
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-U5s41d
• Online since: August 2024
• Authors: Seham S. Alterary*, Ahmed A. Alshahrani, Athar Elhadi, Maha F. El-Tohamy
• Keywords: Crystalline Nanocellulose, Date Palm, Membranes, Polyamide, Polysulphone, Water Treatment

References

[1] Uralovich, K.S., Toshmamatovich, T.U., Kubayevich, K.F., Sapaev, I.B., Saylaubaevna, S.S., Beknazarova, Z.F. and Khurramov, A.: A primary factor in sustainable development and environmental sustainability is environmental education. Caspian J. Environ. Sci. 21(4), 965-975 (2023).

[2] Mishra, R.K.: Fresh water availability and its global challenge. British J. Multidiscip. Adv. Studies 4(3), 1-78 (2023)

DOI: 10.37745/bjmas.2022.0208

[3] Mumtaz, T., Cheema, A.T.: Causes and Effects of Water and Environmental Pollution: A Way Forward. J. Pol. Stud. 30, 83 (2023).

[4] Soomro, A.H., Marri, A. and Shaikh, N.: Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera): A Review of Economic Potential, Industrial Valorization, Nutritional and Health Significance. Neglected Plant Foods Of South Asia: Exploring and valorizing nature to feed hunger, 319-350 (2023)

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-37077-9_13

[5] Alotaibi, K.D., Alharbi, H.A., Yaish, M.W., Ahmed, I., Alharbi, S.A., Alotaibi, F., Kuzyakov, Y.: Date palm cultivation: A review of soil and environmental conditions and future challenges. Land Deg. Dev. 34(9), 2431-2444 (2023)

DOI: 10.1002/ldr.4619

[6] Al-Awa, Z.F.A., Sangor, F.I.M.S., Babili, S.B., Saud, A., Saleem, H. Zaidi, S.J.: Effect of Leaf Powdering Technique on the Characteristics of Date Palm-Derived Cellulose. ACS Omega. (2023)

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c01222

[7] Aral, B.: Turkey's Voting Preferences in the UN General Assembly During the AK Party Era as a Counterchallenge to Its 'New'Foreign Policy. J. Balkan Near East. Stud. 25(3), 399-439 (2023)

DOI: 10.1080/19448953.2022.2143852

[8] Sebastian, J.K., Nagella, P., Mukherjee, E., Dandin, V.S., Naik, P.M., Jain, S.M., Al-Khayri, J.M. Johnson, D.V.: Date Palm: Genomic Designing for Improved Nutritional Quality. ICompend. Crop Genome Design. Nutraceut. 1-64 (2023). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-3627-2_43-1

[9] Al-Mohamed, R., Majar, A., Fahed, K., Dagar, J.C. Sileshi, G.W.: Agroforestry for Plant Diversity and Livelihood Security in Southwest Asia. Agro. Sustain. Inten. Agr. Asia Afr. 387-428, (2023). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-19-4602-8_13

[10] Anvari, S., Aguado, R., Jurado, F., Fendri, M., Zaier, H., Larbi, A. Vera, D., 2024. Analysis of agricultural waste/byproduct biomass potential for bioenergy: The case of Tunisia. Energy Sustain. Dev. 78,101367 (2024)

DOI: 10.1016/j.esd.2023.101367

[11] Rodríguez-Espinosa, T., Papamichael, I., Voukkali, I., Gimeno, A.P., Candel, M.B.A., Navarro-Pedreño, J., Zorpas, A.A. Lucas, I.G.: Nitrogen management in farming systems under the use of agricultural wastes and circular economy. Sci. Total Environ. 876,162666 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162666

[12] Raza, M., Abu-Jdayil, B., Banat, F. and Al-Marzouqi, A.H., 2022. Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from date palm waste. ACS omega, 7(29), pp.25366-25379

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c02333

[13] Raza, M., Abu-Jdayil, B., Banat, F. and Al-Marzouqi, A.H., 2022. Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from date palm waste. ACS omega, 7(29), pp.25366-25379

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c02333

[14] Saud, A., Saleem, H., Khan, A.W., Munira, N., Khan, M. and Zaidi, S.J., 2023. Date Palm Tree Leaf-Derived Cellulose Nanocrystal Incorporated Thin-Film Composite forward Osmosis Membranes for Produced Water Treatment. Membranes, 13(5), p.513

DOI: 10.3390/membranes13050513

[15] Gelaw, B.B., Kasaew, E., Belayneh, A., Tesfaw, D. and Tesfaye, T., 2023. Review of the sources, synthesis, and applications of nanocellulose materials. Polymer Bulletin, pp.1-23

DOI: 10.1007/s00289-023-05061-4

[16] Hashem, A.H., El-Naggar, M.E., Abdelaziz, A.M., Abdelbary, S., Hassan, Y.R. and Hasanin, M.S., 2023. Bio-based antimicrobial food packaging films based on hydroxypropyl starch/polyvinyl alcohol loaded with the biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 249, p.126011

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126011

[17] Debnath, B., Haldar, D. and Purkait, M.K., 2021. A critical review on the techniques used for the synthesis and applications of crystalline cellulose derived from agricultural wastes and forest residues. Carbohydrate polymers, 273, p.118537

DOI: 10.1016/j.carbpol.2021.118537

[18] Sharma, S., Sharma, V., Chatterjee, S. Contribution of plastic and microplastic to global climate change and their conjoining impacts on the environment-A review. Sci. Total Environ. 875,162627 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162627

[19] Khoshnodifar, Z., Ataei, P. Karimi, H.: Recycling date palm waste for compost production: A study of sustainability behavior of date palm growers. Environ. Sustain. Ind. 20, 100300 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2023.100300

[20] Padha, B., Verma, S., Ahmed, A., Chavhan, M.P., Mahajan, P. Arya, S. From Trash to Treasure: Crafting electrochemical supercapacitors with recycled waste materials. Progress Energy (2023). https://doi

DOI: 10.1088/2516-1083/ad139c

[21] Di Fraia, S., Sharmila, V.G., Banu, J.R. Massarotti, N. A comprehensive review on upscaling of food waste into value added products towards a circular economy: Holistic approaches and life cycle assessments. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 104288 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2023.104288

[22] Boughezal, A., Ben Mya, O., Lanez, T. Fethiza Tedjani, C.: Extraction of pure cellulose from palm residues using alkaline treatment method and its performance in PVC polymer matrix composite. Biomass Conv. Bioref. 1-10 (2023)

DOI: 10.1007/s13399-023-04927-x

[23] Ivbanikaro, A.E., Okonkwo, J.O., Sadiku, E.R. Maepa, C.E.: Recent development in the formation and surface modification of cellulose-bead nanocomposites as adsorbents for water purification: a comprehensive review. J. Polym. Eng. 43(8), 680-714 (2023)

DOI: 10.1515/polyeng-2023-0056

[24] Sadare, O.O., Yoro, K.O., Moothi, K. Daramola, M.O.: Lignocellulosic biomass-derived nanocellulose crystals as fillers in membranes for water and wastewater treatment: a review. Membranes, 12(3), 320 (2022)

DOI: 10.3390/membranes12030320

[25] Kian, L.K., Fouad, H., Jawaid, M. Karim, Z.: Crystalline nanocellulose based sustainable nanoscopic composite membrane production: removal of metal ions from water. Cellulose, 29(7), 3803-3816 (2022)

DOI: 10.1007/s10570-022-04494-w

[26] Liu, Y., Liu, H. Shen, Z.: Nanocellulose based filtration membrane in industrial waste water treatment: A review. Materials, 14(18), 5398 (2021)

DOI: 10.3390/ma14185398

[27] Salama, A., Abouzeid, R., Leong, W.S., Jeevanandam, J., Samyn, P., Dufresne, A., Bechelany, M. Barhoum, A.: Nanocellulose-based materials for water treatment: adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, disinfection, antifouling, and nanofiltration. Nanomaterials, 11(11), 3008 (2021)

DOI: 10.3390/nano11113008

[28] Adegoke, K.A., Giwa, S.O., Adegoke, O.R. Maxakato, N.W.: Bibliometric evaluation of nanoadsorbents for wastewater treatment and way forward in nanotechnology for clean water sustainability. Sci. Afr. 21, e01753 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.sciaf.2023.e01753

[29] Davoodbeygi, Y., Askari, M., Salehi, E. Kheirieh, S.: A review on hybrid membrane-adsorption systems for intensified water and wastewater treatment: Process configurations, separation targets, and materials applied. J. Environ. Manag. 335, 117577 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117577

[30] Demoulin, C., Dahdouh, L., Ricci, J., Ruiz, E., Delalonde, M. Wisniewski, C.: Synergistic effect of particle size, shear rate and driving-force during microfiltration of fruit juices: Toward a relevant choice of pretreatments and filtration conditions. Innov. Food Sci. Emerg. Technol. 84, 103247 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.ifset.2022.103247

[31] Tang, Q., An, X., Lan, H., Liu, H. Qu, J.: A homogeneous carbon nitride nanomodifier for promoting the water permeation of polyamide desalination membranes. Separation and Purification Technology, 127082 (2024)

DOI: 10.1016/j.seppur.2024.127082

[32] Dai, B., Hu, Y., Ding, Y., Shen, L., Li, R., Zhao, D., Jiao, Y., Xu, Y., Lin, H. Innovative construction of nano-wrinkled polyamide membranes using covalent organic framework nanoflowers for efficient desalination and antibiotic removal. Desalination, 570, 117083 (2024)

DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2023.117083

[33] Liu, S., Yang, F., Zhou, J., Peng, Y., Wang, E., Song, J., Su, B.: Construction of highly permeable organic solvent nanofiltration membrane via β-cyclodextrin assisted interfacial polymerization. J. Membrane Sci. 687, 22052 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122052

[34] Al-Awa, Z.F.A., Sangor, F.I.M.S., Babili, S.B., Saud, A., Saleem, H. and Zaidi, S.J.: Effect of leaf powdering technique on the characteristics of date palm-derived cellulose. ACS omega, 8(21),18930-18939 (2023)

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.3c01222

[35] Alhamzani, A.G. and Habib, M.A., 2021. preparation of cellulose nanocrystals from date palm tree leaflets (phoenix dactylifera l.) Via repeated chemical treatments. Cellul. Chem. Technol, 55, 33-39 (2021).

DOI: 10.35812/cellulosechemtechnol.2021.55.04

[36] Huang, K., Maltais, A., Wang, Y.: Enhancing water resistance of regenerated cellulose films with organosilanes and cellulose nanocrystals for food packaging. Carbohyd. Polym Technol. Appl. 6,100391 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.carpta.2023.100391

[37] Benhamou, A.A., Kassab, Z., Boussetta, A., Salim, M.H., Ablouh, E.H., Nadifiyine, M., Moubarik, A., El Achaby, M.: Beneficiation of cactus fruit waste seeds for the production of ellulose nanostructures: extraction and properties. Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 203, 302-311 (2022)

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.01.163

[38] D'Acierno, F., Hamad, W.Y., Michal, C.A. and MacLachlan, M.J.: Thermal degradation of cellulose filaments and nanocrystals. Biomacromolecules 21(8),3374-3386 (2020)

DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00805

[39] Shojaeiarani, J., Bajwa, D.S., Chanda, S.: Cellulose nanocrystal based composites: A review. Composites Part C: Open Access, 5,100164 (2021)

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomc.2021.100164

[40] Ramos, P.Z., Call, C.C., Simitz, L.V., Richards, J.J.: Evaluating the rheo-electric performance of aqueous suspensions of oxidized carbon black. J. Coll. Inter. Sci 634, 379-387(2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.12.017

[41] Li, J.B., Zhu, C.Y., Guo, B.B., Liu, C., Xin, J.H., Zhang, C., Wu, J., Zhang, L., Yang, H.C., Xu, Z.K.: Ultrahigh-permeance polyamide thin-film composite membranes enabled by interfacial polymerization on a macro-porous substrate toward organic solvent nanofiltration. J. Membrane Sci. 122342 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122342

[42] Raza, M., Abu-Jdayil, B., Banat, F. and Al-Marzouqi, A.H.: Isolation and characterization of cellulose nanocrystals from date palm waste. ACS omega, 7(29), 25366-25379 (2022).

DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c02333

[43] Pouresmaeel-Selkjani, P., Jahanshahi, M., amp; Peyravi, M.: Mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of nanoporous reinforced polysulfone membranes. High Performance Polymers, 29(7), 759-771 (2017).

DOI: 10.1177/0954008316656742

[44] Ismail, N. M., Jakariah, N. R., Bolong, N., Anissuzaman, S. M., Nordin, N. A. H. M., & Razali, A. R.: Effect of polymer concentration on the morphology and mechanical properties of asymmetric polysulfone (PSf) membrane. Journal of Applied Membrane Science & Technology, 21(1), (2017).

DOI: 10.11113/amst.v21i1.107

[45] Yang, X., Liu, H., Zhao, Y., amp; Liu, L.: Preparation and characterization of polysulfone membrane incorporating cellulose nanocrystals extracted from corn husks. Fibers and Polymers, 17, 1820-1828 (2016).

DOI: 10.1007/s12221-016-6762-7

[46] Masese, F.K., Njenga, P.K., Ndaya, D.M. and Kasi, R.M., 2023. Recent Advances and Opportunities for Cellulose Nanocrystal-Based Liquid Crystalline Polymer Hybrids and Composite Materials. Macromolecules, 56(17), pp.6567-6588

DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.3c00369

[47] Hynninen, V., Patrakka, J. Nonappa: Methylcellulose–cellulose nanocrystal composites for optomechanically tunable hydrogels and fibers. Materials, 14(18), 5137 (2021)

DOI: 10.3390/ma14185137

[48] Li, J.B., Zhu, C.Y., Guo, B.B., Liu, C., Xin, J.H., Zhang, C., Wu, J., Zhang, L., Yang, H.C., Xu, Z.K.: Ultrahigh-permeance polyamide thin-film composite membranes enabled by interfacial polymerization on a macro-porous substrate toward organic solvent nanofiltration. J. Membrane Sci. 122342 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2023.122342

[49] Abedi, F.: Thin Film Nanocomposite Membranes Using Cellulose Nanocrystals for Water Treatment (Doctoral dissertation, Université d'Ottawa/University of Ottawa) (2023). http://hdl.handle.net/10393/45239

[50] Cheng, X., Zhang, Y., Shao, S., Lai, C., Wu, D., Xu, J., Luo, X., Xu, D., Liang, H., Zhu, X.: Highly permeable positively charged nanofiltration membranes with multilayer structures for multiple heavy metal removals. Desalination 548, 116266 (2023)

DOI: 10.1016/j.desal.2022.116266

[51] Hurwitz, G., Guillen, G.R., Hoek, E.M. Probing polyamide membrane surface charge, zeta potential, wettability, and hydrophilicity with contact angle measurements. J. Memb. Sci. 349, 349–357 (2010).

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2009.11.063

[52] Yan, W., Wang, Z., Wu, J., Zhao, S., Wang, J., Wang, S.: Enhancing the flux of brackish water TFC RO membrane by improving support surface porosity via a secondary pore-forming method. J. Memb. Sci. 498, 227–241 (2016).

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2015.10.029

[53] Wang, J., Xu, R., Yang, F., Kang, J., Cao, Y., Xiang, M.: Probing influences of support layer on the morphology of polyamide selective layer of thin film composite membrane. J. Memb. Sci. 556, 374–383 (2018).

DOI: 10.1016/j.memsci.2018.04.011