Polyethersulfone and Its Derivatives as Membrane Materials for Dye Removal from Water

Abstract

AbstractWater contamination by industrial dye effluents is a critical issue faced on a global level over the past few decades and the problem only seems to rise day by day. Dye-polluted water on its consumption, adversely affects human lives and aquatic lives thus creating an imbalance in the ecosystem. Diverse methods are available to treat dye-contaminated water and membrane technology is established as an emerging one among them. Membrane separation has garnered more attention owing to the salient features such as ease of implementation, low cost, and reduction of waste generation. Polyethersulfone (PES) membranes are extensively used for this purpose as they possess high thermal and mechanical stability over other polymeric membrane materials. The key objective of this book chapter is to consolidate the recent advances made in the usage of PES-based membranes for the removal of dye contaminants. Native PES membranes are highly prone to undergo fouling. The hydrophobic nature associated with PES also reduces the separation efficiency. To overcome these drawbacks and also to render higher dye separation efficiency, several organic and inorganic modifications have been carried out to get custom-modified PES membranes. The modifications and the resultant improvements made in PES membranes have been elaborately reviewed in this book chapter.KeywordsDye wastewater treatmentDye removalDye separationMembranesMembrane filtrationPolyethersulfoneDye rejectionHydrophilicity of membranesWater fluxPhase inversion method