Graphene oxide-modified thin-film composite membranes for sustainable petroleum refinery wastewater treatment via an integrated biological/forward osmosis system

Funding Sponsor

Deanship of Scientific Research, Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University

Fifth Author's Department

Center for Applied Research on the Environment & Sustainability

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psep.2025.107382

All Authors

Wesam Abd El-Fattah Ahlem Guesmi Naoufel Ben Hamadi Amjad Alzahrani Mohamed Hosni Ahmed Shahat

Document Type

Research Article

Publication Title

Process Safety and Environmental Protection

Publication Date

8-1-2025

doi

10.1016/j.psep.2025.107382

Abstract

Petroleum refinery wastewater (PRWW), characterized by complex hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and salts, poses significant environmental challenges. This study evaluates an integrated treatment system combining biological degradation, ultrafiltration (UF), and graphene oxide (GO)-modified thin-film composite (TFC) forward osmosis (FO) membranes. The biological process achieved 99 % COD removal efficiency at stable food-to-microorganism (F/M) ratios of 1.15–1.56 g COD/g SS·d, with sludge volume indices (SVI) < 120 mL/g, demonstrating robust settleability. Ultrafiltration pretreatment reduced particulate fouling by 36.7 %, enabling sustained FO membrane flux of 70 LMH using (NH4)2HPO4 draw solution. GO incorporation (0.01 % w/v) enhanced membrane hydrophilicity, achieving a water flux of 90.8 LMH for the PES-NTFC membrane, outperforming unmodified PES (88.4 LMH) and PES-TFC (99 LMH). Structural analysis revealed GO-induced surface asperities Ra = 9.61 nm) via AFM, correlating with improved antifouling properties. The synergy between biological treatment and FO separation achieved 95 % TOC reduction, while draw solution performance followed KCl < NaCl < (NH4)2SO4 < (NH4)2HPO4, attributed to diffusion coefficients and molecular size effects. This work establishes the integrated FO-biological system as a sustainable solution for PRWW treatment, addressing both organic and inorganic contaminants while minimizing energy consumption. Continuous 15-hour operation revealed a stable FO membrane flux of 39.76 LMH with PRWW feed, while HCl cleaning (0.5-minute exposure) restored 89.79 % initial performance through effective inorganic scale removal. FE-SEM analysis confirmed fouling reversibility, with post-cleaning morphology restoration demonstrating the system's operational resilience across multiple cycles (87–91 % recovery).

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