LAUSR

Abstract In the present study, the novel grass-like structured composite membrane is fabricated by coating with manganese iron layered double hydroxide (Mn-Fe LDH) onto the polyethersulfone (PES) membrane surface through a simple hydrothermal method. The as-fabricated Mn-Fe LDH/PES composite membrane was characterized by FE-SEM, EDS element mapping, XRD, FTIR, AFM, BET-BJH and water contact angle (WCA). The removal of malachite green (MG) onto Mn-Fe LDH/PES composite membrane was investigated in batch mode. The obtained composite membrane demonstrated higher hydrophilicity than PES membrane. Their adsorption kinetics of MG on membrane followed a pseudo second-order model. The adsorption behavior and the equilibrium data were represented by the Langmuir isotherm and the maximum adsorption capacity reached 13.49 mg g−1. Thermodynamic study represented that the adsorption of MG onto the Mn-Fe LDH/PES composite membrane was an endothermic process. The influence of various salts such as NaCl, Na2CO3, KNO3 and metal ions such as Cd2+, Ni2+ and Pb2+ ions on the adsorption of MG by Mn-Fe LDH/PES composite membrane are studied.