Abstract
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) were incorporated into polyethersulfone (PES) matrix to prepare mixed matrix membranes. The separation performance of mixed matrix membranes with respect to humic acid (HA) removal was significantly improved through the addition of ZnO-NPs. The membranes were synthesised by dispersing various amounts of hydrophilic ZnO-NPs (0–3.75 wt.%) into a dope solution containing PES, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and dimethylacetamide in the appropriate proportions. SEM and AFM were employed to investigate the dispersion of the ZnO-NPs within the polymer matrix and characterise the surface properties of the particles. The pure water flux, HA flux and rejection rate, and the fouling resistance were investigated to evaluate the membrane performance. The characterisation results indicated that all of the PES/ZnO membranes possessed a smaller pore size than that of the pristine PES membrane. The HA rejection rates were observed to increase with the amount of added ZnO. In particular, the PES/ZnO membrane with 1.25 wt.% ZnO exhibited the highest pure water and HA fluxes. Additionally, the fouling analysis revealed that all of the PES/ZnO membranes exhibited a decrease in their HA fouling tendency.
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