Membrane-based catalytic oxidation technologies have shown promise for removing emerging pollutants in recent years. However, their practical applications have been hindered by several challenges including catalyst leaching, membrane fouling, reduced catalytic efficiency due to blocked active sites, and the difficulty in balancing membrane separation with oxidation kinetics. High material costs and complex fabrication processes further limit their large-scale deployment.

A research team led by KONG Lingtao from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed a series of high-performance membranes capable of efficiently degrading emerging contaminants such as antibiotics, and demonstrated their applications in pharmaceutical wastewater treatment. The latest study was published in Chemical Engineering Journal.

Researchers utilized the structural tunability of MXene nanosheets and combined them with microfiltration membrane fabrication techniques to design multifunctional Fenton-like catalytic membranes. Using a non-solvent-induced phase separation method, they achieved uniform dispersion and stable anchoring of metal-based catalysts on polyvinylidene fluoride substrates. This strategy suppressed catalyst aggregation, strengthened interfacial adhesion, and significantly improved membrane stability, antifouling performance, and permeation flux.

Based on this strategy, researchers developed a range of catalytic membranes, including hollow fiber and flat-sheet configurations. When integrated into a coupled system combining Fenton-like oxidation and membrane separation, these membranes enabled efficient removal of antibiotics.

Moreover, researchers developed an integrated treatment process combining a membrane bioreactor and a catalytic membrane reactor. Applied to real pharmaceutical wastewater, this process enabled efficient removal of antibiotics, total organic carbon, suspended solids, and ammonia nitrogen. "This process cut treatment costs by more than 30%. It showed strong technical performance while delivering clear economic benefits," said Dr. XIE Chao, one first author of this study.

This work provides a promising solution for the treatment of high chemical oxygen demand refractory industrial wastewater, and highlights the significant potential of catalytic membrane technologies for large-scale environmental applications.