Enhanced Cleaning Efficiency of PVC Membrane by ZnO–PPy Electrically Conductive Composite in Oily Wastewater Treatment

Abstract

ABSTRACT Membrane separation technology offers an efficient approach for oily wastewater (OW) treatment, but developing membranes with high performance and antifouling ability remains challenging. This study reports the fabrication of electrically conductive composite membranes by incorporating polypyrrole‐ZnO (PPy–ZnO) nanocomposites (ZPC) into a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) matrix at 0–1.5 wt.%. ZPC was synthesized by polymerization of polypyrrole on ZnO nanoparticles and uniformly dispersed in PVC. The effects of ZPC on membrane properties and surface properties were analyzed using FE‐SEM, AFM, water contact angle, porosity, and mechanical testing. ZPC addition enhanced membrane hydrophilicity and surface roughness, reducing the contact angle from 78.8° (pure PVC) to 54° (PVC‐ZPC‐1.0) and increasing roughness to 110.3 nm (PVC‐ZPC‐1.5). Morphology showed increased porosity up to 1.0 wt.% ZPC. Mechanical tests revealed higher tensile strength and Young's modulus, though higher ZPC content introduced some brittleness. OW filtration showed PVC‐ZPC‐1.0 achieved the highest water flux (145 kg/m 2 ·h) due to its optimized pore structure, while PVC‐ZPC‐1.5 exhibited excellent antifouling and the highest flux recovery ratio (FRR≈93.4%) under applied electric current. TOC was reduced from 150 to 16.2 ppm, highlighting the potential of these membranes for advanced OW treatment.