Synthesis and characterization of polyethersulfone membranes impregnated with (3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane) APTES-Fe3O4 nanoparticles for As(V) removal from water

Abstract

Polyethersulfone (PES) nanocomposite membranes are synthesized with surface modified Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) for removing arsenic from water. The PES membranes synthesized with A-Fe3O4 NPs exhibited efficient adsorption capacity with a low concentration of NPs (1 wt%, 2 wt%, 3 wt%), which indicate a good potential for industrial applications in water treatment industries. The highest rejection rate of 76% and the highest measured arsenic equilibrium adsorption capacity of 14.6 mg/g were measured in PES membranes containing 3 wt% A-Fe3O4 NPs.Infrared spectroscopy (IR) was used to verify the surface modification of Fe3O4 NPs. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) was used to evaluate the dispersion of the modified Fe3O4 NPs in the PES membrane matrix. Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the pore structure and surface roughness of PES membranes containing APTES modified Iron Oxide nanoparticles (A-Fe3O4 NPs). Highest porous structure was found in PES-A-Fe3O4 3 wt% and roughness was increased with addition of A-Fe3O4 NPs (0,1,2 wt.%). Pore size analysis was conducted using water flux method. Hydrophilicity was characterized with measuring the water contact angle and pure water flux was measured using a pressurized membrane cell. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were analyzed using batch adsorption tests.