Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2025.028

Performance Evaluation of Nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis Membranes for Atrazine Removal from Water

Anica Pavlinović orcid.org/0000-0002-4909-3709 ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Trg Marka Marulića 19, HR-10 000 Zagreb, Croatia *
Mislav Marinčić ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Trg Marka Marulića 19, HR-10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Nikoletta Kovacs orcid.org/0000-0002-4602-1005 ; Soós Ernő Research and Development Center, University of Pannonia, Zrínyi Miklós utca 18, H-8800 Nagykanizsa, Hungary
Gabor Maasz ; Soós Ernő Research and Development Center, University of Pannonia, Zrínyi Miklós utca 18, H-8800 Nagykanizsa, Hungary
Ildiko Galambos ; Soós Ernő Research and Development Center, University of Pannonia, Zrínyi Miklós utca 18, H-8800 Nagykanizsa, Hungary
Ivana Panžić orcid.org/0000-0002-7082-3710 ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Trg Marka Marulića 19, HR-10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Iva Ćurić ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Trg Marka Marulića 19, HR-10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Davor Dolar orcid.org/0000-0002-4699-1298 ; University of Zagreb Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Trg Marka Marulića 19, HR-10 000 Zagreb, Croatia

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Pesticide contamination from agricultural activities has become a growing environmental concern since pesticides can migrate across environmental compartments and accumulate on undesirable surfaces and in water bodies. Given their high toxicity to living organisms and resistance to degradation, developing effective removal strategies is essential. This study investigates the removal of pesticide atrazine from a binary solution using commercially available nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, with molecular weight cut-offs of 150–300 Da and 100–200 Da, respectively. The experimental study was conducted in a laboratory-scale RO/NF system with six cells connected in parallel over a duration of 3 h. Removal efficiency was determined by analysing all samples (feed and permeate) using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The results showed that the atrazine removal efficiency ranged from 16.0 to 84.9 % with NF membranes, and from 64.0 to 93.1 % with RO membranes, indicating that size exclusion was the main removal mechanism.

Keywords

pesticides; atrazine; nanofiltration; reverse osmosis; size exclusion

Hrčak ID:

344423

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/344423

Publication date:

15.3.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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