Robust SWCNT-OH/GO membranes for scalable recovery of moxifloxacin from high-salinity organic wastewater.

An, Yechen; Mei, Liang; Yang, Ruijie; Cui, Jun; Zhang, Wenhai; Han, Jing-Long; Jiang, Wenli; Ren, Ruiyun et al. · Nat Commun · 2026

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Membrane-based separation offers a sustainable route for resource recovery from high-salinity organic wastewater, yet graphene oxide (GO) membranes remain constrained by poor selectivity, limited solvent stability, and challenges in scale-up. Here, we report a hydroxylated single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT-OH) reinforced GO membrane, in which SWCNT-OH promotes robust inorganic crosslinking with sodium tetraborate (Na<sub>2</sub>B<sub>4</sub>O<sub>7</sub>) to form rapid transport channels for water and ions, while suppressing organic passage. This architecture enhances the moxifloxacin (MXF)/NaCl separation factor more than fivefold (from 4.2 to 22.2) and increases water permeability over fourfold (from 7.2 to 30.1 l m<sup>-2</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> bar<sup>-1</sup>). The membrane was scaled up to 11 m<sup>2</sup> and deployed for continuous treatment of MXF crystallization mother liquor over seven days, delivering a stable recovery of 10 kg MXF per day under industrially relevant conditions. These findings establish a scalable strategy for the design of robust nanocarbon-based membranes, advancing resource-efficient treatment of high-salinity wastewater.