Essalhi, MohamedAfsar, Noor UlBouyer, DenisSundman, OlaHolmboe, MichaelKhayet Souhaimi, MohamedJonsson, MatsTavajohi, Naser2025-12-192025-12-192024-05Essalhi, M., Afsar, N. U., Bouyer, D., Sundman, O., Holmboe, M., Khayet, M., ... & Tavajohi, N. (2024). Gamma-irradiated janus electrospun nanofiber membranes for desalination and nuclear wastewater treatment. Journal of Membrane Science, 700, 122726.0376-738810.1016/j.memsci.2024.122726https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/129499© 2024 The Authors.This study presents the fabrication of double-layer electrospun nanofibrous membranes (DL-ENMs) using polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyether sulfone (PES) based polymers with different degrees of hydrophilicity (PES, sulfonated PES, and PES with hydroxyl terminals). A comparative analysis was carried out with single-layer electrospun nanofiber membranes (SL-ENM) with a total thickness of about 375 mu m. Using feed solutions, including sodium chloride, sodium nitrate, and simulated nuclear wastewater (SNWW), the performance of DL-ENMs was evaluated for desalination and radionuclide decontamination by direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) and air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) techniques. The results showed that DL-ENMs, especially those incorporating a sulfonated PES-based hydrophilic layer, exhibited superior permeate fluxes, reaching values of 72.72 kg/m(2)h and 73.27 kg/m(2)h in the DCMD using aqueous feed solutions of NaCl and NaNO3, respectively, and 70.80 kg/m(2)h and 41.96 kg/m(2)h using aqueous feed solutions of SNWW in DCMD and AGMD, respectively. Both SL-ENMs and DL-ENMs exhibited high rejection efficiencies and decontamination factors for the feed solutions (>99.9%). In addition, the prepared ENMs were exposed to gamma radiation to evaluate their applicability in real-life applications. The result of irradiation revealed the negative impact of gamma radiation on the fluorine content of PVDF which could be a critical point in using PVDF as a hydrophobic material for decontaminating nuclear wastewater by membrane distillation.engAttribution 4.0 Internationalhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/journal articlehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.memsci.2024.122726https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S037673882400320Xopen access66.049628.165Double-layer electrospun nanofibrousMembranesHydrophobic / hydrophilicDesalinationMembrane distillationSimulated nuclear wastewater treatmentNuclides decontaminationCiencias33 Ciencias Tecnológicas