Science Get Journal
Vol 3 No 1 (2026): January, 2026

Modified Cellulose Membranes Show High Performance for Oil–Water Separation in Wastewater Treatment

Ian Kurniawan (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
31 Jan 2026

Abstract

Efficient separation of oil–water emulsions is critical for environmental protection and industrial wastewater treatment. In this study, cellulose membranes were surface-modified by introducing hydrophilic functional groups to enhance hydrophilicity, permeability, and antifouling performance. The modified membrane exhibited a significant decrease in water contact angle from 46.3° to 12.8°, indicating markedly improved wettability. FTIR and XRD analyses confirmed successful surface modification without altering the crystalline structure of cellulose. Compared to the pristine membrane, the modified membrane showed increased porosity (78.6%) and water uptake (126.4%), leading to enhanced pure water flux (3,420 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹) and stable oil–water emulsion flux (2,680 L·m⁻²·h⁻¹), with an oil rejection efficiency exceeding 99%. The membrane also demonstrated superior antifouling performance, with a flux recovery ratio of 91.3%, and maintained high separation efficiency over multiple filtration cycles, indicating excellent reusability and operational stability. These results demonstrate that surface modification is an effective strategy for developing high-performance and sustainable cellulose membranes for oil–water separation in wastewater treatment applications.

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

science

Publisher

Subject

Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology Chemistry Mathematics Physics

Description

A Peer Reviewed Research Science Get Journal e-ISSN: 3062-6595 Science Get Journal is an Open Access and Anonymous Reviewer/Anonymous Author journal. The field of Science is a vehicle for scientific communication in the field of Science which covers the cross-fields of Mathematics, Physics, ...