The amount of free glycerol in the
final product of biodiesel is
limited by international standards. In the current study, optimized
solvent-resistant nanocomposite membranes were prepared using the
phase inversion method based on a poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membrane
modified by adding different concentrations of functionalized multiwall
carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-NH2). The FTIR results confirmed
the occurrence of modification on neat MWCNTs. The characteristics
and properties of the mixed matrix membranes were analyzed by using
SEM and AFM as well as contact angle measurements and molecular weight
cutoff (MWCO), and pore size properties were also studied. Contact
angle results indicated that the surface hydrophilicity was improved
by increasing MWCNTs content. Unmodified PES and PES/MWCNTs-NH2 mixed matrix membranes were evaluated in terms of the flux
behavior of pure water and other polar and nonpolar solvents, surface
roughness, swelling, and antifouling performances as well as their
ability to remove free glycerol from biodiesel-rich phase. The % FRR
of the modified membranes increased from 22.36% for M0 to
59.49% for M2, while increasing the MWCNTs-NH2 amount from 0.00 to 0.05 wt % led to a decrease of R
ir from 77.63% to 40.50%. Furthermore, the 0.05% w/w MWCNTs-NH2 modified membrane showed promising capability in removing
about 99.5% of free glycerol with superior reusability, while no significant
change happened in biodiesel rejection.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.