ABSTRACT
Rapid industrialization has brought comfort to humankind, but it has also adversely affected the environment. Pollution has increased dramatically as a result of various industries, including the textile sector, medicines, fertilizers, and paper and pulp, which generate massive amounts of wastewater carrying harmful contaminants. Significant efforts have been made over the last decade to eliminate or reduce the level of harmful contaminants from industrial wastewater. Various techniques with advantages and disadvantages have been used. Among the various techniques, membrane technology has found widespread application in the treatment of effluents. Because of its superior qualities, nanofiltration (NF) membranes have had significant developments in recent years. The NF approach is being investigated for the elimination of various pollutants from industrial effluent. However, typical NF membranes continue to have scientific issues, such as membrane fouling, high operating costs, and quick disintegration. The current chapter discussed recent advances in NF membrane–based procedures for the treatment of industrial wastewater, as well as a brief overview of traditional membrane–based procedures used to remediate pollutants. Furthermore, an attempt was made to highlight the fundamental structure of the NF membrane, as well as its numerous types and features. The chapter focuses on the most recent advances in the fabrication of several types of NF membranes for the removal of heavy metals, dyes, pesticides, herbicides, and pharmaceuticals from industrial wastewater. In order to illustrate the feasibility of the process, the commercial features of existing NF membranes are discussed. In addition, many perspectives and restrictions related to scaling up the process are extensively described, with an eye toward future advancements.
