Antifouling and Antimicrobial Study of Nanostructured Mixed-Matrix Membranes for Arsenic Filtration

Abstract

Membrane fouling is a major drawback in the membrane filtration industry for water treatment. Mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) are well known for their enhanced antifouling and antibacterial properties, which could offer potential benefits for membrane filtration processes in the water treatment field. In this work, three electrospun nanofibrous MMMs (P, CP, and MCP, which were, respectively, the pristine polysulfone membrane and mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) consisting of GO–ZnO and GO–ZnO–iron oxides) were studied for antifouling and antibacterial properties with respect to the arsenic nanofiltration process. The effects of these composites on the antifouling behaviour of the membranes were studied by characterising the bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein adsorption on the membranes and subsequent analysis using microscopic (morphology via scanning electron microscopy) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analyses. The antibacterial properties of these membranes were also studied against Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli). The composite nanoparticle-incorporated membranes showed improved antifouling properties in comparison with the pristine polysulfone (PSF) membrane. The excellent antimicrobial properties of these membranes make them appropriate candidates to contribute to or overcome biofouling issues in water or wastewater treatment applications.

Nanofiltration Membranes for the Removal of Heavy Metals from Aqueous Solutions: Preparations and Applications

“…The formation of a leaf-like structure in Figure 12 (d2) on the nanofiltration membrane surface ensures a substantial idea of the effectiveness of membrane antifouling on the membrane performance after the addition of nanoparticles compared to the membrane in Figure 12 (d1) [ 127 ]. Siddique et al [ 20 ] incorporated graphene oxide/zinc oxide (GO/ZnO) and GO/ZnO/iron oxide nanoparticles into pristine polysulfone by electrospinning to eliminate Arsenic via nanofiltration. The surface area and porosity of the thin film nanocomposite cumulate a growth in surface area of 11.4% and diminish the pore size to 69% ( Figure 12 (e1)) compared to the bare membrane ( Figure 12 (e2)).…”

“…This makes the nanofiltration system an ideal method for eliminating heavy metals [ 7 ]. There is growing interest in the utilization of nanofiltration for the removal of heavy metals such as copper [ 8 , 9 ], cobalt [ 10 ], zinc [ 11 ], cadmium [ 12 ], mercury [ 13 ], lead [ 14 ], iron [ 15 ], chromium [ 16 ], nickel [ 17 ], manganese [ 18 ], antimony [ 19 ], and arsenic [ 20 ]. Figure 2 illustrates the increasing number of publications each year, especially recently, on heavy metal removal compared with the application of nanofiltration membranes in wastewater treatment and desalination.…”

Nanometric Mechanical Behavior of Electrospun Membranes Loaded with Magnetic Nanoparticles

“…Electrospun membranes are of great interest from an applicative point of view. They can be designed for application as filtering devices [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ], in biomedical applications and tissue regeneration [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ], as promoters of antibacterial properties [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] or as modifiers, in the form of thermoplastic veils, for improving interlaminar toughness of fiber-reinforced epoxy composites, and for dispersing in them nanofillers [ 27 , 28 ].…”

Effect of Molecular Weight and Chemical Structure of Terminal Groups on the Properties of Porous Hollow Fiber Polysulfone Membranes

“…[12] naphthalene moieties, -CF 3 and -CH 3 groups synthesis within the work -Flat-sheet Gas separation [13] -SO 3 H groups Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA M n ~22 Flat-sheet Polymer fuel cells [14] N-dodecyl-4(R)-hydroxy-l-proline BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany -Flat-sheet Dialysis [15] phosphonic acid (HO) It should be noted that the chemical modification of PSF is carried out for the subsequent production of exclusively flat-type membranes (see Table 1). In the case of a hollow fiber configuration, to improve the properties of membranes obtained from PSF, a common approach is to introduce various additives and fillers into the membrane matrix, i.e., the creation of mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. To obtain MMMs and unmodified hollow fiber membranes from PSF, as a rule, commercial grades of PSF are used [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34].…”

“…In the case of a hollow fiber configuration, to improve the properties of membranes obtained from PSF, a common approach is to introduce various additives and fillers into the membrane matrix, i.e., the creation of mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29]. To obtain MMMs and unmodified hollow fiber membranes from PSF, as a rule, commercial grades of PSF are used [22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34]. However, due to the limited choice of molecular weights and chemical composition, the use of industrial polymers may hinder the ability to prepare dope solutions with controlled properties (viscosity, stability upon contact with a coagulant, coagulation rate, etc.).…”