Simultaneous removal of Cd (II) and p-cresol from wastewater by micellar-enhanced ultrafiltration using rhamnolipid: Flux decline, adsorption kinetics and isotherm studies.

Flux decline due to membrane fouling by surfactant micelles is the major problem limiting the use of micellar enhanced ultrafiltration (MEUF) for the treatment of wastewater. Understanding of underlying mechanisms of membrane fouling, adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm are very important for the successful application of MEUF studies. In the present study, an unsteady state model considering sequential occurrence of complete pore blocking and gel layer formation was proposed for explaining flux decline behavior during rhamnolipid based MEUF for simultaneous removal of Cd and p-cresol from aqueous solution under batch concentration mode.