Wara Dyah Pita Rengga, Achmad Yanuar Maulana, Sella Mustika Puti Andini, Nadiatus Salwa, Revitalia Nilnalmuna, Maulida Zakia
The batik industry produces substantial volumes of liquid effluent containing heavy metals, which represent serious hazards to both human health and ecological systems due to their toxicity and persistence. An effective remediation approach for such contaminated wastewater involves filtration using cellulose acetate-based membranes, which are favored for their excellent mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and biodegradability. In this investigation, cellulose acetate was functionalized with titanium dioxide and zinc oxide nanoparticles to enhance membrane stability and performance. The modified membranes were fabricated via the phase inversion technique, which produced membranes with reduced pore sizes and a distinctive finger-like porous structure. Mechanical testing revealed that nanoparticle incorporation slightly decreased tensile strength due to pore enlargement and additive aggregation. However, the nanocomposite membranes exhibited superior permeate flux and high rejection efficiencies for heavy metals. Filtration experiments demonstrated complete removal of Cu2+ (R = 1.0), strong retention of Pb2+ (R = 0.1-1.0), and moderate rejection of Cd2+ (R = 0.05-0.27). Additionally, pH testing shows that the membranes effectively neutralize the alkalinity of batik wastewater, shifting the pH from 8.55 to ~7, thereby rendering it more environmentally friendly. © The Author(s) 2025.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Central Java, Semarang, 50229, Indonesia; Department of Chemistry, Dong-A University, Busan, 49315, South Korea
