Characterization of nanofiber composite membrane for high water flux and antibacterial properties

Abstract

Nanostructured membranes are introduced as a new technology for water purification and treatment. In this work, a facile and simple route of alkaline treatment of polymeric and nanocomposite fiber membranes was developed using electrospinning technique. A blended polysulfone (PSF) and cellulose acetate (CA) polymers incorporated with (0.2 wt%, ZnO NPs), followed by immersion in 0.1 M NaOH solution was performed to enhance membrane surface properties. The membranes were characterized using field emission microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), mechanical strength, water contact angle (WCA), permeate flux, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and antimicrobial test. Interestingly, the proposed filtration membrane materials exhibited superhydrophilic property i.e. (WCA = 13° ± 3°) corresponding to (PSF/CA/ZnO NPs) membrane with highest water flux of 0.46 m3 m−2 h−1. Additionally, mechanical properties of the developed membranes showed that addition of ZnO NPs resulted in tensile strength of 0.29 MPa without treatment and 0.13 MPa after membrane treatment which is higher than that of pristine membrane tensile strength (0.11 MPa). The composite nanofibrous membrane displayed a strong antibacterial activity against E. coli, with a bacterial growth inhibition zone diameter of 10 ± 0.6 mm. The overall membrane river Nile water filtration resulted in slight decreasing water total dissolved ions (TDS), lower turbidity, and high-water flux. This facile membrane development route could facilitate not only the sustainable development of membrane technology but also achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) for clean water and sanitation for drinking water purification and wastewater treatment.