Abstract:
With the progression of industrialization, an increasing number of emerging contaminants (ECs) have entered natural water bodies. Among these, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are a particular class of synthetic compounds characterized by their exceptional stability, bioaccumulation potential, and toxicity, posing significant threats to human and ecological health. This study introduced calcium chloride (CaCl
2) into the aqueous phase to facilitate the chelation between Ca
2+ and acyl chloride monomers, thereby internally regulating the interfacial polymerization (IP) reaction. As a result, a CaCl
2-modified nanofiltration membrane (CaCl
2-TFC) was successfully prepared, featuring a thinner, rougher, more hydrophilic surface with enhanced negative charge and a lower molecular weight cut-off. The impact of CaCl
2 concentration on the separation performance of the nanofiltration membrane was investigated. The results indicate that the modified membrane achieves a pure water flux of 101.86 L·m
-2·h
-1, nearly 3.28 times that of unmodified TFC membrane, with a Na
2SO
4 rejection rate of 95.61%, overcoming the trade-off effect of TFC membranes. This alleviates the trade-off effect between water permeability and solute rejection to some extent. Furthermore, the membrane exhibites rejection rates of 95.78% and 90.92% for PFHxA and PFHxS, respectively. This research presents a simple, environmentally friendly, and low-cost method for the fabrication of TFC NF membranes, applying it to the treatment of PFASs and providing a technical reference for ensuring drinking water safety.