Integrated adsorption-membrane separation for PFAS removal from complex wastewater
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31699/IJCPE.2026.2.9Keywords:
PFAS; complex wastewater; adsorption; nanofiltration; hybrid treatment; process simulation; membrane foulingAbstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent and toxic contaminants that are difficult to remove from complex wastewater because dissolved organic matter, salts, co-pollutants, and membrane fouling reduce treatment efficiency. This study evaluated an integrated adsorption-membrane process for PFAS removal through combined Aspen Plus/MATLAB simulation and bench-scale validation using synthetic complex wastewater. Adsorbent dosage (0.10-1.00 g/L), transmembrane pressure (4-10 bar), and filtration time were investigated. Standalone adsorption was limited by its reduced affinity for short-chain PFAS and by competitive uptake of co-existing dissolved organic matter, whereas standalone nanofiltration was constrained by progressive membrane fouling and flux decline; the integrated configuration was therefore designed to combine the strengths of both unit operations, using adsorptive pre-loading to lower the PFAS and organic load reaching the membrane so as to improve overall removal while mitigating fouling. Adsorption and nanofiltration achieved maximum total PFAS removals of 89.1% and 91.2%, respectively, while the integrated system reached 98.6% at 0.75 g/L PAC and 8 bar, with lower membrane flux decline (reduced from 33.5% to 21.8%) than NF-only operation. Model predictions showed good agreement with the experimental data (R² = 0.975-0.992), indicating that the integrated adsorption-membrane approach is a viable and scalable option for PFAS removal from complex wastewater.
Received on 22/04/2026
Received in Revised Form on 17/06/2026
Accepted on 17/06/2026
Published on 30/06/2026
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