Decolorization of Ionic Dyes from Synthesized Textile Wastewater by Nanofiltration Using Response Surface Methodology

Decolorization of aqueous solutions containing ionic dyes (Reactive Blue 19 and Acid Black 172) by a TFC commercial polyamide nanofilter (NF) in a spiral wound configuration was studied. The effect of operating parameters including feed concentration (60-180 mg/l), pressure (0.5-1.1 MPa) and pH (6-10) on dye removal efficiency was evaluated. The response surface method (RSM) was utilized for the experimental design and statistical analysis to identify the impact of each factor. The results showed that an increase in the dye concentration and pH can significantly enhance the removal efficiency from 88% and 87% up to 95% and 93% for Reactive and Acid dye, respectively. The effect of pressure on the removal efficiency showed different behavior such that by the raise of pressure from 0.5 to 0.8 MPa, the removal efficiency increased to its maximum, then reduction in removal efficiency was observed by further increases in pressure above the optimum range. The maximum dye removal efficiencies which were predicted at the optimum conditions by Design Expert software were 97 % and 94 % for Reactive Blue 19 and Acid Black 172, respectively. According to the results of this study, NF processes can be used at a significantly lower pressure and fouling issue for reuse applications as an alternative to the widely used RO process.