Abstract
The aim of this study was to cognise the impact of nanocrystalline cellulose (NCCs) during fabrication of biodegradable poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)/ poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) blend membranes. Biobased NCCs with high crystalline structure were incorporated ranging from 0 to 3 wt%. The 2 wt% NCC-filled membrane displayed a distinct and well-assimilated polymeric membrane network. In addition, increasing the NCCs loadings have positive impact on membrane porosity and average pour-size. The thermal resistance of the clean membrane was greatly increased after 1 wt% NCC loading but decreased dramatically with 2 and 3 wt% NCC loadings. Additionally, the membrane containing 3wt% NCCs displayed the greatest mechanical properties for Young's modulus (3.12 GPa), elongation at break (8.5%), and tensile strength (28.3 MPa). The continuous operation test at 0.1 MPa demonstrated that a 3 wt% NCC loaded membrane had maximum removal effectiveness for metal ions of chromium and manganese i.e. 96% and 93%, respectively. Therefore, a fully biodegradable NCCs-filled PBAT/PBS composite membranes have significant future potential for use in the treatment of wastewater streams containing heavy metal ions.