Synthesis of adsorptive mesoporous MFI membrane using an ionic complex: Long‐term performance in water purification

Abstract An ionic nickel complex was utilized to synthesize an adsorptive mesoporous MFI zeolite membrane for the removal of heavy metal ions from water. The synthesis conditions (synthesis temperature = 185°C, synthesis duration = 96 h, and molar ratio of NaOH to silica was set to 1) resulted in the highest nickel content (3.5 wt%) within the zeolite structure. The incorporation of nickel into the zeolite structure requires high energy and sufficient time. The template used simultaneously incorporates nickel into the structure and creates a mesoporous structure. Water permeation tests conducted on the membrane demonstrated that a 20‐h heat treatment yielded the highest water flux. The presence of nickel ions in the feed solution reduced the membrane blocking (water flux declined from 40 to 15 L m −2 h −1 over 1 week) by forming stable nickel complexes with some of the anions in water and hydrophilic surface modification effect, while water flux reduction occurred within 6 h in the absence of nickel ions. Analysis of nickel ion concentrations indicated that the membrane functions effectively as an adsorptive zeolite membrane.