Abstract
In this study, the antifouling properties of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes blended with different amounts of ZnO nanoparticles and a fixed ratio of N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP)-acetone mixture as a solvent were investigated. The properties and performance of the fabricated membranes were examined in terms of hydrophilicity, porosity, pore size, surface and cross-section image using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), surface roughness using atomic force microscopy (AFM), pure water flux, and humic acid filtration. Addition of ZnO as expected was found to improve the hydrophilicity as well as to encourage pore formation. However, the agglomeration of ZnO at a higher concentration cannot be avoided even when dissolved in a mixed solvent. The presence of highly volatile acetone contributed to the tight skin layer of the membrane which shows remarkable antifouling ability with the highest flux recovery ratio and negligible irreversible fouling. ZnO NPs in acetone/NMP mixed solvent shows an improvement in flux and rejection, but, the fouling resistance was moderate compared to the pristine membrane.
Highlights
The contributions of membranes in many industries such as food processing [1], the petrochemical industry [2], energy applications [3,4], as well as wastewater and water purification technology [5]have been highly successful and are much sought-after
When the addition of zinc oxide (ZnO)-NPs exceeded 1.0 wt%, obvious cluster/agglomeration of ZnO was visible on the top layer and in the cross-section of PZ4 and PZ5 membranes
The agglomeration of ZnO at a higher concentration cannot be solved by even a dual-solvent system (NMP and acetone)
Summary
The contributions of membranes in many industries such as food processing [1], the petrochemical industry [2], energy applications [3,4], as well as wastewater and water purification technology [5]have been highly successful and are much sought-after. The contributions of membranes in many industries such as food processing [1], the petrochemical industry [2], energy applications [3,4], as well as wastewater and water purification technology [5]. In order to have clean and accessible water for all, the United. Membrane technology obviously has some major advantages as compared to other technologies such as energy efficiency and reasonable cost [8]. Membrane fouling has been identified as one of the most difficult problems that restrict the use of membranes in industry from a technical and economical point of view [9,10]. Fouling is a phenomenon that occurs when the colloids, particles, macromolecules, salts, etc
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