MXene-Based Membranes for Wastewater Treatment

With the rapid development of science and technology and the rapid urbanization and industrialization, a large amount of wastewater containing heavy metal ions and other pollutants are released without treatment into the water bodies. As a result, the elimination of such environmental pollutants has become a global concern. MXene-based membranes are one of the most competitive and promising strategies for wastewater treatment due to their unique characteristics such as high surface area, tunable surface functional groups and hydrophilicity. Recent research has shown that MXene-based membranes have demonstrated outstanding performance with a removal efficiency of 90–99% for various analytes, as well as high water permeability and selectivity. To successfully apply this technology for practical applications, it is important to understand the removal mechanisms, interaction pathways and membrane fabrication parameters. This review offers a detailed discussion on the preparation, characteristics, and efficiency of MXene nanocomposites membranes for the removal of pollutants from waters. It also presents the prime removal mechanism, the effects of water quality parameters and the combination of MXene membranes with conventional water treatment technologies. Moreover, the review also discusses applications, challenges, cost and regeneration potential of modified MXene-based membranes for the removal of emerging pollutants from water bodies.