Development of antifouling membrane film for treatment of oil-rich industrial waste

Abstract

As the largest producers of palm oil, Malaysia disposes substantial amount of oil-rich industrial waste regularly. Untreated oil-rich wastewater reduces water quality and deteriorates aquatic ecosystems. Conventional method used in treating oil-rich waste involved precipitation, flocculation, coagulation, and biological treatment, which is disadvantageous due to the high cost, high chemical use, high land area required, and difficulty in maintaining the optimum condition for microorganisms’ growth. Membrane technology showed potential in treating oil-rich waste due to the low cost, efficiency, and environmentally friendly properties. However, long term usage of membrane may result in oil fouling which will lower membrane performance. The present study attempted to use methyl gallate extracted from Anacardium occidentale leaves to mitigate oil fouling and maintain membrane performance over time. As polar compound, methyl gallate increased the hydrophilicity of cellulose acetate membrane. The developed methyl gallate/cellulose acetate membrane exhibited PWF of 56.28 ± 2.10 L m-2h−1 and rejection rates of 99.14 ± 0.03 % against oil emulsion. The membrane was able to achieve FRR of 98.73 ± 0.83 % after 4 cycles of filtration, indicating that anti-fouling properties have been enhanced.