Nanofibrous Kevlar Hydrogel Ultrafiltration Membrane with High Acid Resistance and Antifouling Properties for Wastewater Treatment

Membrane fouling and acidic environment instability are inevitable problems restricting the widespread application of membranes in wastewater treatment. Herein, we report a polyelectrolyte hydrogel membrane with high acid resistance and antifouling properties synthesized by phase inversion of Kevlar nanofibers solution. The hydrogel membrane, compared to the commercial PVDF membrane, has a higher rejection of Congo Red, Direct Red 23, and Direct Red 80 solutions, and excellent antifouling performance when filtering bovine serum protein or humic acid solution. The high antifouling performance is attributed to a large number of hydrophilic groups in the structure of the hydrogel, which can induce the formation of a protective layer of hydration, thus reducing the pollutants adsorbed on the surface. Besides, the acid resistance ability of the Kevlar membrane was verified by a phosphoric acid (pH = 0) immersion experiment. Due to the superior performance of this membrane and the one-step preparation process, the developed Kevlar membrane has great potential applications for wastewater treatment.