Removal of organics from aqueous solutions by commercial RO and NF membranes of characterized porosities

Removal of organic pollutants of petrochemical and agrochemical origin by some commercial reverse osmosis (RO) and nanofiltration (NF) membranes of characterized porosity was investigated. The rejection of organics was shown to depend on both the membrane properties like pore size, membrane material, membrane charge and solute characteristics such as molecule size, charge and polarity. The rejection of the small nonionized organic molecules by the tight pore membranes is influenced by both the sieving parameters (solute and pore size) and by the physicochemical interactions. The rejection of the same pollutants by the wider pore membranes is dominantly influenced by the physicochemical interactions. The rejection of pesticides is prevalently governed by the sieving mechanism based on the size of the solute molecule and the membrane pore size. However, the physicochemical effects cannot be totally neglected, and they can contribute to the rejection of some pesticides by certain membranes.