Assessment of micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration process performance for removal of pharmaceutical contaminant from wastewater using response surface methodology

Abstract

In the present research, removal of a common pharmaceutical contaminant from wastewater was studied using micellarenhanced<br><br>ultrafiltration (MEUF) process with applying a laboratory-scale system. Sodium dodecyl sulfate surfactant was<br><br>used in this process. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for evaluating the MEUF process performance. The<br><br>results obtained from the experiments showed that sotalol hydrochloride drug rejection using ultrafiltration membrane was<br><br>maximum 32.41%, while by adding the surfactant and forming the micelle this amount increased to 96.82%. By using the<br><br>RSM and investigating the interaction of surfactant concentration, transmembrane pressure (TMP), and pH, it was found<br><br>that the surfactant concentration had the most impact on the rejection. Moreover, among the studied parameters, TMP and<br><br>surfactant concentration played an important role in variations of the permeate flux.