Study on preparation of a pizza-like attapulgite-based composite membrane and its performance on methylene blue and ciprofloxacin removal

In this study, attapulgite (ATP) was made to unfolded in two-dimension on the surface of graphene oxide (GO) and metal oxides were loaded on it as active substances to prepare a multifunctional membrane material (Fe-Cu/ATP-GO) through an innovative pizza-like preparation method. The fabrication process of this composite membrane has undergone rigorous optimization to ensure optimal performance. In order to get insights into its structural and compositional features, the composite membrane was thoroughly investigated by XRD, FTIR, SEM, BET analysis, XPS, and TG, which showed ATP was uniformly dispersed on the surface of GO membrane and both Fe and Cu were successfully and uniformly loaded on the surface of ATP-GO membrane. The application of the Fe-Cu/ATP-GO membrane in treating wastewater contaminated with methylene blue (MB) or ciprofloxacin (CIP) showed over 90 % removal ratio of MB and over 70 % removal ratio of CIP after 10 min dynamic treatment experiments under optimal conditions, revealed its exceptional ability to effectively eliminate organic contaminants from water. Further mechanistic studies have shed light on the multifaceted treatment mechanisms employed by the composite membrane, including filtration, adsorption, and catalytic oxidation, etc. These mechanisms synergistically contribute to the membrane’s remarkable performance in removing refractory organics from water.