Stability and kinetic insights for ibuprofen removal from aquaculture wastewater using green supported ionic liquid membranes

Pharmaceutical residues in aquaculture effluent have become a growing environmental concern due to their potential ecological impacts. Supported ionic liquid membranes (SILM) offer a promising solution for extracting micropollutants from contaminated sources. SILM was developed using Aliquat 336 in sunflower oil (SFO) as a carrier solution, specifically targeting ibuprofen (IBP) in aquaculture wastewater. Different solid supports are fabricated through the nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) process and characterized by SEM, EDX, contact angle, TGA, FTIR and porosimeter. PVDF support is selected as solid support for immobilization of the carrier solution owing to its properties of having an asymmetrical shape, thickness of 48.8µm, porosity of 72% and contact angle of 89.0o (feed side) and 85.3o (stripping side). The percentage of carrier loss obtained was only 1.10%. The optimal conditions for IBP removal were obtained at 0.5M Aliquat 336, with a feed phase pH of 5.5 and stripping phase pH of 8. Further tests on real aquaculture wastewater affirmed the system’s efficacy in removing IBP and maintaining the stability at least the fifth cycle of membrane reusability. This study underscores the viability of proposed SILM system in mitigating IBP from aquaculture sector.