BACKGROUND Membrane technology is highly applicable to water purification due to its simple operation process. During the treatment of organic wastewater, the organic compounds are deposited on the membrane surface, which leads to membrane fouling. To alleviate this problem, the membrane separation process could be combined with eco-friendly photocatalytic technology. In this regard, facile synthesized nanomaterials, such as sulfonated graphene oxide (SGO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and SGO/ZnO (SGZ) are incorporated in a polyethersulfone (PES) membrane matrix used for antifouling analysis and degradation of organic pollutants in the presence of UV light irradiation. RESULTS X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analysis shows that ZnO is bound strongly within the SGO-ZnO nanocomposite. The optical property was also altered for hybrid SGO-ZnO nanocomposite as compared to the ZnO photocatalyst. The physicochemical characterization of PES-SGO, PES-ZnO, and PES-SGZ nanocomposite membranes was studied. Hydrophilicity and water flux are improved with the addition of nanomaterials. Among the membranes, PES-SGZ nanocomposite membranes exhibit maximum water flux and lower contact angle value of 152 L m(-2) h(-1) and 51.9 degrees, respectively. The photocatalytic activity of the membrane was assessed by organic pollutants under the UV light. The PES-SGZ nanocomposite membrane revealed higher photocatalytic efficiency for crystal violet at 92.3% and ciprofloxacin at 95.1%. CONCLUSION The modified PES membranes enhanced antifouling and hydrophilic properties. Specifically, the PES-SGZ nanocomposite membrane proved to be a superior material for the effective photodegradation of organic pollutants and it achieved a higher water flux. To conclude, the prepared photocatalytic membrane could have vast potential in the treatment of toxic organic industrial effluents. (c) 2020 Society of Chemical Industry