Hexavalent chromium removal from aqueous solution by polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration

This study compares the effects of two different polymers using polymer-enhanced ultrafiltration (PEUF) to remove hexavalent chromium ions from an aqueous solution with a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) membrane. Two water-soluble polymers were examined: starch and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The analysis explored the impacts of solution pH, pressure, and polymer concentration on hexavalent chromium rejection and permeate flux. The results show that the hexavalent chromium rejection increased with increasing polymer concentration and solution pH. The rejection reached 90% and 96% with starch and PEG, respectively. At pH 10, it reached 100% with starch and 91% with PEG. Increasing the transmembrane pressure doesn’t affect the rejection of hexavalent chromium.