In this study, cellulose and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were extracted and prepared from cassava peels (CPs). The method of the cellulose extraction was performed by alkali treatment followed by a bleaching process. The CNF were prepared by mechanical disruption procedure (homogenization and ultrasonication), and the results were compared with a common acid hydrolysis procedure. The resulting cellulose and CNF from both procedures were then analyzed using FTIR, SEM, TEM, XRD, and TGA. The results show that cellulose and CNF were successfully prepared from both procedures. The physical properties of the produced CNF were different; however, they had similar chemical properties.

The accumulation of pollutants in water is dangerous for the environment and human lives. Some of them are considered as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that cannot be eliminated from wastewater effluent. Thus, many researchers have devoted their efforts to improving the existing technology or providing an alternative strategy to solve this environmental problem. One of the attractive materials for this purpose are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) due to their superior high surface area, high porosity, and the tunable features of their structures and function. This review provides an up-to-date and comprehensive description of MOFs and their crucial role as adsorbent, catalyst, and membrane in wastewater treatment. This study also highlighted several strategies to improve their capability to remove pollutants from water effluent.

Trade-off issue and membrane fouling remain two major issues in the utilization of membrane technology for the water treatment due to reduced membrane permeability and lifetime. In our study, we employed 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane modified bentonite (BNTAPS) as an anti-fouling modifier to prepare polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-based membranes via the phase inversion method. The effects of BNTAPS concentration on the physical, mechanical, morphological, and filtration performance of the hybrid membranes have been investigated. It was found that the addition of BNTAPS improved the hydrophilicity of the membrane revealed by the decreased water contact angle. Consequently, the pure water flux of PVDF membrane containing 0.5% BNTAPS (PVDF/BNTAPS0.5%) increased to 35.5 L m^-2 h^-1. Moreover, the PVDF/BNTAPS membrane showed a smaller pore diameter and porosity compared to pristine PVDF. The membrane performance evaluation was carried out using cationic and anionic dyes, i.e., methylene blue (MB) and acid yellow (AY17), respectively. Our study revealed that the rejection of each dye was slightly increased for the PVDF/BNTAPS0.5%. However, the flux recovery rate of the PVDF/BNTAPS membrane significantly improved, which directly prolonged the membrane lifetime.