Preparation of RBPM-Ru based on FPSu and its characterization through image segmentation

Abstract

A membrane technology is one of the basic categories of water purification technologies that are used to treat wide range of salinity water from brackish to sea water. Bipolar membrane (BPM) is a special type of catalytic ion exchange membrane (IEM) which involves water dissociation reaction in intermediate layer. Here monopolar and bipolar IEMs with Ru (water dissociation catalyst) as intermediate layer (IL) are prepared with resin and glass fiber reinforcements using functionalized polysulfone polymer (RBPM-Ru). The prepared RBPM-Ru was characterized using universal testing machine, thermo gravimetric analysis, contact angle and chemical stability through conductivity and water absorption studies. In addition the present study highlights the new method of characterizing RBPM-Ru especially through image segmentation technique as one of the prior characteristic technique before SEM analysis to confirm its bi-layer formation in a single membrane because of its advantages like no cost requirement and less time consumption method with the same quality of accuracy. The performance of RBPM-Ru in a two-compartment electrodialytic cell was evaluated using correlated parameters such as pH, concentration and conductivity studies in both compartments. By using current voltage graph (I-V) the importance of incorporating catalytic material in IL for enhancing BPM water dissociation reaction were identified. Finaly it can be concluded that RBPM-Ru was expected to have better process efficiency due to lower co-ion leakage capacity when compared with results of polystyrene–divinylbenzene (PSDVB) based BPM under similar experimental conditions.