Abstract
Polyethersulfone as membrane material possesses superior characteristics; however, it is limited by its semi-hydrophobic nature, which renders it prone to fouling and restricts the practical applications. Three-steps modifications of PES membranes consist of ZnO nanoparticle incorporation, UV irradiation, and cross-linked PVA coating were carried out to improve membrane performance and stability. The membranes were fabricated using the dry/wet phase inversion technique. The results revealed that the modifications significantly improved membrane structural characteristics. Three-steps combination treatments enhanced the membrane surface hydrophilicity by lowering the contact angle from 70° to 61.4°. A three-step modification including ZnO loading, UV irradiation, and PVA coating on PES membranes can increase the rejection of organic matter from 16% to 54% despite sacrificing permeate flux. Crosslinked PVA coating at a concentration of 3 wt-% increased the water permeability from 4.6 to 8.6 L.m-2. h-1 while maintaining the rejection rate. Ozonation for 3 hours as pre-treatment enhanced the total dissolved solids, chemical oxygen demand, and Ammonia rejections up to 18.6%, 16.7%, and NH3 87.1%, respectively. Quantitative fouling evaluation revealed that three-steps modification on PES membrane significantly improved the anti-fouling property of the membrane.
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