Treatment of industrial wastewater contaminated with Methylene Blue dye using a wood-based membrane modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles, with a sustainable resource management approach

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Mohsen Irani
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Faculty, Velayat University, Iranshahr, Iran.
10.22034/he.2026.592889.1250
Abstract
Industrial wastewater containing organic dyes has become a significant environmental concern because of the persistence, chemical stability, and toxicity of these contaminants, which pose serious risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. This study aimed to evaluate the environmental performance of a mulberry wood membrane modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solutions. To improve membrane porosity and facilitate nanoparticle penetration, the wood samples were first subjected to a delignification process and subsequently coated with ZnO nanoparticles using dip-coating and drop-casting techniques. The treatment performance of the fabricated membrane was examined under different dye concentrations and flow rates. The results demonstrated that the modified membrane exhibited efficient dye removal, maintaining an average removal efficiency of approximately 68% at methylene blue concentrations up to 30 mg/L. However, the removal efficiency gradually decreased at higher concentrations because of the saturation of available adsorption sites. In addition, increasing the flow rate negatively affected membrane performance by reducing the contact time between the contaminated solution and the membrane surface. These findings suggest that the ZnO-modified wood membrane, owing to its naturally porous structure, low fabrication cost, and satisfactory treatment efficiency, represents a promising and environmentally friendly pretreatment technology for reducing the pollutant load of industrial wastewater. The proposed membrane could contribute to sustainable water resource management while minimizing the ecological impacts associated with dye-contaminated industrial effluents.
Keywords
Industrial wastewater treatment
Wood membrane
Zinc oxide nanoparticles
Methylene blue removal
Environmental assessment
Subjects
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Human Ecology

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 11 August 2026