MYCOLab Ai Logo - gold and army green

Novel Alginate-, Cellulose- and Starch-Based Membrane Materials for the Separation of Synthetic Dyes and Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions and Suspensions—A Review

Summary

This review examines new types of environmentally-friendly membranes made from natural plant materials like alginate and cellulose that can effectively remove harmful dyes and heavy metals from polluted water. These sustainable membranes can reject over 95% of contaminants while producing minimal waste, offering a greener alternative to traditional synthetic membrane technology. The materials are biodegradable and can be reused multiple times, making them economically and environmentally advantageous for water treatment applications.

Background

Water pollution from synthetic dyes and heavy metal ions is a major environmental challenge. Traditional wastewater treatment methods often generate hazardous by-products and fail to achieve complete contamination removal. Recent research has focused on developing eco-friendly, sustainable membrane materials based on natural polysaccharide polymers for effective separation of pollutants.

Objective

This review examines the latest developments in polysaccharide-based membrane materials, specifically those derived from alginate, cellulose, and starch, for separating synthetic dyes and metal ions from aqueous solutions. The review emphasizes novel membrane composition, separation performance, environmental advantages, and limitations of these sustainable separation technologies.

Results

Novel polysaccharide-based membranes achieve rejection rates exceeding 95% for dyes and metal ions while maintaining salt rejection below 7%. Key advances include alginate hydrogels with co-crosslinking, cellulose nanofiber composites, and starch-based materials. Modifications using biochar, graphene oxide, MOFs, and nanoparticles significantly enhance separation efficiency, mechanical stability, and antimicrobial properties.

Conclusion

Polysaccharide-based membranes represent a promising sustainable alternative to synthetic polymer membranes for wastewater treatment. These ‘green membranes’ offer high separation efficiency, reusability, and environmental safety, though challenges remain regarding long-term durability, scalability, and disposal. Further research on real wastewater applications and commercial-scale manufacturing is needed.
  • Published in:Materials (Basel),
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: PMID: 41470268, DOI: 10.3390/ma18245495
Scroll to Top