Abstract
This work aims to present the modification of polypropylene (PP) membranes using three different biopolymers, chitosan (CHI), potato starch (PS), and cellulose (CEL), in order to obtain three new materials. The modified membranes may be degraded easier than polypropylene ones and could be used as selective membranes for metal ions removal, among other applications. For this purpose, the UV energy induced graft copolymerization reaction among polypropylene membrane, acrylic acid, benzophenone (as photoinitiator), and the biopolymer (CHI, PS, or CEL) was conducted. The results of FT-IR-ATR, XRD, TGA, DSC, SEM, BET, and AFM analyses and mechanical properties clearly indicate the successful modification of the membrane surface. The change of surface wettability was monitored by contact angle. The grafting reaction depends on natural polymer, reaction time, and concentration. In order to prove the potential application of the modified membranes, a preliminary study of sorption of metal ion was carried out. For this purpose, the PP-CHI membrane was chosen because of the high hydrophilicity, proportionate to -OH and NH2; these groups could act as ligands of metal ions, provoking the interaction between PP-CHI and M+ (PP-CHI-M+) and therefore the metal ion removal from water.
Highlights
Polypropylene (PP) is widely used in a variety of industrial applications such as wastewater treatment and separation process because of its low cost, good mechanical and thermal properties, and chemical stability
Grafting modification with specific functional groups is one of the approaches to synthesize adsorbent PP that can be used for metal removal from wastewater [7], where the selectivity depends on the specific interactions between the grafted monomer and the metal ions
The PP-CEL membrane showed an angle of 25∘; the PP-CHI membrane presented 16∘; when it comes to the PP-potato starch (PS), the contact angle was 0∘, and this indicates a dramatic change in its hydrophobic character, having complete wetting. These results show that the modified membranes changed the hydrophobicity of the polypropylene membrane, due to the presence of polar groups from the biopolymers, which enhances the surface energy and the hydrophilicity of modified membranes [34]
Summary
Polypropylene (PP) is widely used in a variety of industrial applications such as wastewater treatment and separation process because of its low cost, good mechanical and thermal properties, and chemical stability. The compatibility of the monomer with the polymeric matrix becomes a prime constraint to develop the required material [11]. In this context, several methods have been used to Journal of Chemistry modify the chemistry of membranes. The UV-induced graft polymerization of a monomer into the polymer matrix is an adequate route to modify the surface; it changes its properties such as wettability or permeability. The matrix can be modified with different functional groups such as carboxylic acid, amine, hydroxyl, and sulfonic acid groups These groups attached onto the polymeric networks can be tailored for a specific application [16]. Owing to higher adsorption rate and adsorption capacity, the modified polymer can provide many advantages as new-type, fast-responsive, and highcapacity adsorbent materials for the removal of pollutants from aqueous solutions [17, 18]
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