Novel Thin Film Composite Polyamide Membrane Incorporated with Acacia Gum

Abstract

In this work, an extensive investigation on the effect of the incorporation of acacia gum (0.01–0.2 wt%) as an additive to polyamide reverse osmosis membranes was highlighted. The improvement in the properties/performance of the novel reverse osmosis membranes, which were prepared via interfacial polymerization technique, was discussed. The properties of the modified membrane (surface charge, hydrophilicity, surface morphology and topography) were analyzed and reported. The prepared membranes were more hydrophilic, bore more negative surface charge and smoother surfaces than the commercial reverse osmosis membranes. The performance of the blended membranes was tested by the dead-end filtration of NaCl solutions (2000 ppm) and real Qatari seawater (45,000 ppm). When compared to commercial membranes, the modified membranes exhibited higher salt rejection and superior chlorine resistance. The prepared membranes have also shown reduced flux decline over time. The enhancement in the membrane’s properties and performance in this work can be applied to improve the overall performance of commercial membranes in order to extend their lifetime and reduce their replacement frequency.