Cellulose acetate/CoCeFe layered double hydroxide based self-cleaning adsorptive membrane for efficient dye removal

Developing multifunctional membranes capable of simultaneous dye separation and self-cleaning remains a major challenge in wastewater treatment. In this study, a novel self-cleaning adsorptive membrane was fabricated by incorporating ternary CoCeFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles into a cellulose acetate (CA)/polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) matrix via the non-solvent induced phase separation method. The synthesized CoCeFe LDH was comprehensively characterized using X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy coupled with elemental mapping. Structural and surface analyses confirmed the successful incorporation of CoCeFe LDH into the membrane matrix, leading to enhanced hydrophilicity, surface roughness, and interconnected porous structure. The optimized membrane containing only 0.05 wt% CoCeFe LDH exhibited a high pure water flux of 124.3 L m⁻² h⁻¹ together with excellent methylene blue (MB) rejection (>99%) at neutral pH and 0.5 bar. Dye removal was governed by a synergistic adsorption and size-exclusion mechanism. In addition, the membrane demonstrated efficient photocatalytic regeneration under visible light in the presence of H₂O₂, outperforming conventional chemical cleaning and maintaining over 90% MB rejection after nine reuse cycles. These findings demonstrate the potential of the developed CA/PVP/CoCeFe LDH membrane as a durable, low-loading, and environmentally sustainable platform for dye-contaminated wastewater treatment.