The effectiveness of nano-halloysite ceramic membranes in removing lead from polluted water.

This study investigates the fabrication and performance of ceramic nanocomposite membranes incorporating halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) and manganese oxide (Mn3O4) nanoparticles for lead removal from water. Six ceramic nanocomposite membranes were fabricated by varying HNT content (75, 80, and 85 wt.%) and sintering temperature (900 and 1,000 °C), with constant grog (8 wt.%) and Mn3O4 additions. Water flux measurements demonstrated that membrane H85-900 (85% HNTs, 900 °C) achieved the highest permeability of 390 L/m2.h at 5 bar. Lead removal efficiency in synthetic aqueous solutions reached 99.84% for membrane H80-1,000 (80% HNTs, 1,000 °C). When tested with spiked real groundwater samples, the membranes maintained high performance, achieving 99.16% lead removal with the H80-1,000 membrane. The Mn3O4 nanoparticles used in this study were synthesized via co-precipitation and characterized based on particle size, crystal structure, and purity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed uniform crystalline particles with sizes of 30-40 nm. X-ray fluorescence confirmed 95.2% Mn3O4 purity, and X-ray diffraction indicated a tetragonal crystal structure. UV-visible spectra exhibited characteristic absorption peaks at 220 nm (O2-- Mn2+/Mn3+ charge transfer) and 350 nm (d-d crystal field transition). These results demonstrate the potential of locally sourced HNT-based ceramic membranes for effective heavy metal remediation in water treatment applications.