Recent advances on carbon-based nanocomposite membranes in water and wastewater applications

In today's industrial world, population growth and increased industrial production have intensified the need for potable water supply and effective wastewater treatment. Due to environmental concerns, advancements in separation processes have also become necessary. Membrane processes are particularly effective in removing contaminants from entering effluents, thereby protecting water sources, and are high-performance techniques for water and wastewater treatment. The synergistic effect of carbon-based nanocomposite membranes, resulting from the properties of carbon based nanomaterials (CBNs) (such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and, graphene oxide (GO)) combined with the unique characteristics of membrane separation techniques, has led to improved performance of the membrane processes. The classification of the content is based on the dimensions of CBNs and membranes: zero-dimensional (0D), one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D). Efforts have been made to review articles from the past two years. This study briefly reviews newly developed membranes using carbon nanomaterials in various membrane technologies, including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), reverse osmosis (RO), forward osmosis (FO), membrane bioreactor (MBR), and membrane distillation (MD), aiming to highlight their potential success.