Fabrication, characterization, and performance evaluation of polyethersulfone/TiO₂ nanocomposite ultrafiltration membranes for produced water treatment

Abstract

In the present work, development of neat and nanocomposite polyethersulfone membranes composed of TiO 2 nanoparticles is presented. Membranes are fabricated using nonsolvent phase inversion process with the objective of improving antifouling, hydrophilicity, and mechanical properties for real and synthetic produced water treatment. Membranes are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, contact angle, porosity measurement, compaction factor, nanoparticles stability, and mechanical strength. The performance of prepared membranes was also characterized using flux measurement and oil rejection. Fouriertransform infrared spectra indicated that noncovalence bond formed between Ti and polyethersulfone chains. The contact angle results confirmed the improved hydrophilicity of nanocomposite membranes upon addition of TiO 2 nanoparticles owing to the strong interactions between fillers and water molecules. The increased water flux for nanocomposite membranes in comparison with neat ones can be due to coupling effects of improved surface hydrophilicity, higher porosity, and formation of macrovoids in the membrane structure. The membrane containing 7 wt% of TiO 2 nanoparticles was the best nanocomposite membrane because of its high oil rejection, water flux, antifouling properties, and mechanical stability. The pure water flux for this membrane was twice greater than that of neat membrane without any loss in oil rejection. The hydrophilicity and antifouling resistance against oil nominates developed nanocomposite membranes for real and synthetic produced water treatment applications with high performance and extended life span.

Fabrication of electrospun polyethersulfone/titanium dioxide (PES/TiO2) composite nanofibers membrane and its application for photocatalytic degradation of phenol in aqueous solution

“…Owing to the hydrophilic properties of TiO 2 , the incorporation of TiO 2 nanoparticles into the nanofibers structure enhances the membrane surface hydrophilicity and, therefore its affinity to the water. 26,40,41 The Contact angle analysis from the neat PES and PES/TiO 2 nanofibers membranes is presented in Figure 9. The pure water permeation, porosity, and average pore size of PES and PES/TiO 2 nanofibers membranes are presented in Table 4.…”

Exploring the characteristics, performance, and modification of Matrimid for development of thin‐film composite and thin‐film nanocomposite reverse osmosis membranes

“…According to the prior findings, the mechanical strength of membranes can be deteriorated significantly at high particle loadings as well as causing easier delamination of skin layer from the beneath support especially during performance analysis 31 . Besides, the presence of TiO 2 nanoparticles was expected to show positive effects on membrane characteristics especially due to their hydrophilic nature originating from the surface hydroxyl groups and high specific surface area 32 . On these bases, a relatively low concentration range was considered for addition of TiO 2 in this study.…”

“…Similarly, salt rejection increased slightly from 95.7% to 96.2%. Size exclusion and electrostatic charge repulsion are two main mechanisms that can affect the rejection of ionic solutes 32 . An increase in salt rejection related to the addition of PEG might be attributed to the hydroxyl groups present in the PEG structure possessing hydrophilic and electrophilic characteristics that boost the hydrophilicity and negative charge at membrane surface.…”

Innovative Optical-Sensing Technology for the Online Fouling Characterization of Silicon Carbide Membranes during the Treatment of Oily Water

“…Organic/inorganic membrane separation technology has emerged as a promising alternative for industrial wastewater treatment, particularly for the treatment of PW [15,16]. The advantages of membrane filtration include low energy consumption, a small footprint, no requirement for additional chemicals during the treatment process, and consistent effluent quality [17].…”

“…SiC membranes have received little attention compared to metal oxides, especially for the treatment of PW [26][27][28]. SiC membranes are characterized by a strongly hydrophilic surface, high porosity, and a rather uniform pore size distribution [16,17]. The surface characteristics of the membrane material such as isoelectric point, surface charge density, and hydrophobicity are among the factors that may influence membrane performance.…”