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This study presents the synthesis of a novel thin-film nanocomposite forward osmosis (TFN-FO) membrane and its structural properties and performance; heavy metals removal behavior was further assessed in synthetic and industrial wastewater samples. The novel lab-fabricated TFN-FO membranes included a support layer (SL) constructed by the incorporation of different concentrations (0–8 wt%) of polyethylene glycol 400, polysulfone, and 1-methyl, 2-pyrrolidone via the phase inversion process and an active layer (AL) formed through incorporating different weight ratios (0–0.012 wt%) of graphene oxide (GO), 1, 3-Phenylenediamine and 1, 3, 5-benzene trichloride into the polyamide layer via the interfacial polymerization reaction. Compared with traditional TFC membranes, the TFN-FO membranes exhibited higher hydrophilicity, porosity, water permeability, water flux and salt rejection and lower reverse salt …