Membrane-based technologies, such as micro (MF), ultra (UF) and nanofiltration (NF), have been widely applied for water treatment applications; however, the limitations of pure polymeric membranes have encouraged the incorporation of inorganic nanomaterials to enhance their performance. Today, nanocomposite membranes have greatly increased the attention of researchers for different water treatment applications, e.g., water purification, wastewater treatment, removal of microorganisms, chemical compounds and heavy metals. To date, different types of nanomaterials have been incorporated into polymeric membranes, such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), zinc oxide (ZnO), graphene oxide (GO), titanium dioxide (TiO2), Ag and Cu-based nanoparticles, to mention just a few. Thereby, the aim of this paper is to show a brief overview about the effect on embedding these materials into polymeric membranes according to the recent literature inputs in the field of water treatment.

Se evaluó, a escala laboratorio, la desalinización por ósmosis directa de agua de mar sintética. Este sistema utilizó un agente osmótico comercial y un agente osmótico preparado, a partir de azúcar/glucosa anhídrida 50/50%p/p y nanopartículas magnéticas, modificadas con carboximetil celulosa (MNp-CMC). De acuerdo a mediciones de dispersión de luz dinámica, las nanopartículas exhibieron un tamaño hidrodinámico de 173±53nm. Un valor de flux de agua desalinizada de 1,3LMH fue determinado al adicionar 112,5mg/ mL de MNp-CMC al agente osmótico sintético, produciéndose un aumento del 9,2%, comparado al flux obtenido sin el uso del nanoaditivo. En adición, se evaluó la remoción de las nanopartículas magnéticas, aplicando un campo electromagnético externo. A pesar que se observó una disminución en la concentración de nanopartículas presentes en el efluente, luego de ocho ciclos de separación magnética, se detectó, por espectrofotometría de absorción atómica, una concentración de 227mg Fe/L en el agua desalinizada, lo cual, supera el valor máximo aceptable de hierro en aguas potables (0,3mg Fe/L), reflejando así la necesidad de mejorar el proceso de separación magnética, para el empleo de nanoaditivos magnéticos, en procesos de desalinización de agua, por osmosis directa. | At a laboratory scale by means of a direct osmosis process the desalination of a synthetic seawater was evaluated. This system employed a commercial osmotic and a synthetic osmotic agent prepared from sugar/anhydrous glucose 50/50%w/w and magnetic nanoparticles modified with carboxymethyl cellulose (MNp-CMC). According to measurements from dynamic light scattering, nanoparticles exhibited a hydrodynamic size of 173±53nm. A desalinated water flux of 1,3LMH was determined by the addition of 112,5mg/mL of MNp-CMC to the synthetic osmotic agent, showing an increase of 9.2% as compared to the one obtained without the use of the nanoadditives. Additionally, the magnetic decantation of the nanoparticles by applying an external electromagnetic field was evaluated. Although a concentration decrease of nanoparticles in the water effluent after eight cycles of magnetic separation was detected; by atomic absorption spectroscopy a concentration of 227mg Fe/L in the desalinized water was identified, which is higher than the maximum iron content allowed in drinking water (0.3mg Fe/L), showing that more work is required in order to improve the process of magnetic separation for the application of magnetic nanoadditives in the desalinization of water by direct osmosis systems.