MODIFICATION OF NANO HYBRID PES-ZNO MEMBRANE USING UV IRRADIATION FOR BIODIESEL PURIFICATION

Abstract

The purification of biodiesel is one of the crucial processes involved in biodiesel production. This study aims to examine the effect of the polymer composition, nano-ZnO loading, and UV irradiation on the performance of membranes for biodiesel purification. The membranes were fabricated with the polyethersulfone composition of 17, 18, and 20 wt%. The compositions of nano ZnO were varied at 1.5, 2, and 2.5 wt%, while the duration of UV irradiation was varied for 0.5, 1, and 1.5 minutes. The results indicate that the compositions of PES, nano ZnO, and UV irradiation affected the performance of the membrane. The best membrane performance was achieved when the membrane was produced using PES 17 wt%, nano ZnO 1.5 wt% involving irradiation UV light for 1 minute. The fabricated membrane exhibits 3 hours flux profile stability and 61.5% glycerol rejection.