The disposal of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in water streams continues to be a challenge, where textile and pharmaceutical industries are major co

We report on the detection of an organic pollutant mostly found in local streams and wastewater treatment plants, specifically on triclosan detected in the Umbogintwini Industrial Complex (UIC), located on the south coast of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Triclosan was successfully extracted from effluent samples using molecularly imprinted membrane adsorbents (MIMs) before quantification and removal using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This was done through fabrication of a polyvinylidene fluoride polymer using selective microparticles and molecularly imprinted polymers by means of phase inversion and an immersion precipitation method which results in enhanced hydrophilicity and membrane performance. The optimisation of experimental parameters – i.e. contact time and sample size – was performed through different stages of analysis. The synthesised MIMs exhibited an outstanding adsorption efficiency of 97% for triclosan in relation to those of non-imprinted membranes (NIMs) and pristine membranes at 92% and 88%, respectively. The analytical method employed had limits of detection and quantification of 0.21 and 0.69 parts per billion (ppb or μg/L) in wastewater effluent, respectively. The obtained efficiency results show great potential for future use of membrane and molecular imprinting technology, and that MIMs can be adopted as adsorbents for water treatment. The fast and highly selective methodology presented in this work could also be employed for the examination of persistent organic pollutants in the future to combat water scarcity in South Africa. Significance: The key finding of this work is the incorporation of molecularly imprinted polymers with a membrane adsorbent to improve the performance of the membrane. An unexpected finding was the existence of pollutants like triclosan in water within the boundaries of the KwaMakhutha community, near the human settlement. Among the MIMs, NIMs and bare membranes, higher removal efficiencies were displayed by the synthesised MIMs against the discovered pollutants. This work could open doors for advanced research in the community.

Since the revelation in the detection of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in industrial wastewater in the early 1990s, a notable progress has been achieved on the research and different removal applications or methods of this challenge at hand. This book chapter entails a decent understanding on the occurrence, effects, and amputation of POPs in the water sector in advancement of municipal performances of treating industrial wastewaters and environment at large. This current chapter also presents an overview of research associated to the amputation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) from various water bodies, i.e., river sediments, sewage plants, industrial sludges, and wastewater. Also, discussing the relationships with actual pre-treatment and removal rates. Vital characteristics such as the wastewater matrix, location, sources of POPs, materials and modules, operational parameters and problems are presented with a clear focus on removal of these organic pollutant’s different sources (like, textile wastewater). The particular methods to the removal of POPs can be associated with the application of ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis as advanced treatment stages are considered in correlation with the textile wastewater characteristics and removal efficiencies requirements. This gives significance to the amalgamation of physico-chemical and biological treatment with membrane processes which is likely to represent an efficient solution for the removal of POPs from textile wastewater. However, since membrane fouling and hydrophilicity are apparent in the execution of this process, this chapter also covers the effective strategies like fabrication of membrane with a suitable additive to counterattack these challenges, which are often used in membrane technological research. This chapter also proposes an updated understanding of fouling and improvement of membrane properties.