Abstract
Polyethersulfone (PES) is a polymeric permeable material used in ultrafiltration (UF) membranes due to its high thermomechanical and chemical stability. The hydrophobic nature of PES membranes renders them prone to fouling and restricts the practical applications of PES in the fabrication of water treatment membranes. The present study demonstrates a non-solvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) approach to modifying PES membranes with different concentrations of discrete TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs). Zeta potential and contact angle measurements showed enhanced hydrophilicity and surface negative charge in TNTs/PES nanocomposite membranes compared to unmodified PES membranes. To discern the antifouling and permeation properties of the TNTs/PES membranes, steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) wastewater obtained from the Athabasca oil sands of Alberta was used. The TiO2 modified polymer nanocomposite membranes resulted in a higher organic matter rejection and water flux than the unmodified PES membrane. The addition of discrete TNTs at 1 wt% afforded maximum water flux (82 L/m2 h at 40 psi), organic matter rejection (53.9%), and antifouling properties (29% improvement in comparison to pristine PES membrane). An enhancement in fouling resistance of TNTs/PES nanocomposite membranes was observed in flux recovery ratio experiments.
Highlights
Water sources, such as lakes, groundwater, and rivers, have been contaminated by industrial waste disposal directly or indirectly [1]
High-resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) spectra (HR-XPS) of Octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) functionalized TiO2 nanotubes in the Ti2p region show two peaks components located at a binding energy (BE) 458.8 and 464.6 eV, originated due to Ti2p3/2 and Ti2p1/2 peak components of the Ti4+ state in the TiO2 crystal lattice (Figure 5a) [41]
The peak component at BE value 530.4 eV was originated from the contribution from Ti-coordinated oxygen atoms (O2−–Ti4+ forming TiO6 octahedron) present in the crystal lattice of TiO2 and P=O of surface-adsorbed ODPA molecule while an intense peak at BE ≈ 531.5 eV was corroborated to non-lattice adventitious oxygen atoms (–OH groups) and phosphonate group (P–O)
Summary
Water sources, such as lakes, groundwater, and rivers, have been contaminated by industrial waste disposal directly or indirectly [1]. Many industrial processes that use steam production in boilers are completely reliant on the supply of fresh water. It is important to treat wastewater using energy efficient and robust techniques to ensure a continuous supply of fresh water. Various methods have been explored for water recycling that are both more energy efficient and environmentally sustainable [3]. Filtration using polymeric membranes for wastewater has seen increased adoption recently due to cost efficiency, low energy consumption, reliability, and ease of contaminant removal without using harmful products and no phase change at room temperature operations in comparison to other methods of water recycling [5,6,7,8,9]
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