Abstract
Microfiltration flat sheet membranes of polyether sulfone (PES) were fabricated by incorporating varying concentrations of polymer and investigated the influence of substituting solvents. The membranes were prepared via immersion precipitation method. Different solvents that included NMP (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone), DMF (dimethylformamide), and THF (tetrahydrofuran) were used to analyse their effect on the performance and morphology of the prepared membranes. Two different coagulation bath temperatures were used to investigate the kinetics of membrane formation and subsequent effect on membrane performance. The maximum water flux of 141 ml/cm2.h was observed using 21% of PES concentration in NMP + THF cosolvent system. The highest tensile strength of 29.15 MPa was observed using membrane prepared with 21% PES concentration in NMP as solvent and coagulation bath temperature of 25°C. The highest hydraulic membrane resistance was reported for membrane prepared with 21% PES concentration in NMP as solvent. Moreover, the lowest contact angle of 67° was observed for membrane prepared with 15% of PES concentration in NMP as solvent with coagulation bath temperature of 28°C. Furthermore, the Hansen solubility parameter was used to study the effect on the thermodynamics of membrane formation and found to be in good correlation with experimental observation and approach in the present work.
Highlights
Drinkable water resources are declining every year leading to exploring viable options for water reusability to treat and purify it [1]
The prepared membranes were investigated for their strength, contact angle, water permeability, surface chemistry, and morphology
The membrane prepared with 21 % polyether sulfone (PES) concentration in NMP and THF cosolvent the contact angle was slightly higher than two abovementioned membranes
Summary
Drinkable water resources are declining every year leading to exploring viable options for water reusability to treat and purify it [1]. Microfiltration membranes are considered economical for water treatment to reduce the microbial and colloidal sources in water [3]. These membranes are pressure driven membranes and can be used as pretreatment for reverse osmosis and nanofiltration water purification processes [1, 3]. Microfiltration membranes typically have a pore size ranging from 0.1 to 10 μm in size. These membranes are able to separate out bacteria and suspended particles [4] as well as macromolecules with a molecular weight less than 100,000 g/mole [5]
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