Oil-Water Emulsion Separation Using Nanoparticle-Coated Polystyrene Membrane

Abstract

The demand for membranes have increased enormously in the last decades due to increased applicability in many industrial activities. In the oil and gas industry, filtration membranes gain popularity over other types of membranes due to their usage in separation of oil-water emulsion using microfiltration and/or ultrafiltration techniques. Researchers have geared interest in the development of better performance membranes aimed at improving the efficiency of separation and antifouling properties. Developments in nanotechnology has made available nanoparticles which are used to further enhance the properties and performance of membranes, adding credence to membrane usage in emulsion separation. In this work, Polystyrene membrane of size 0.1µm is enhanced by coating with Aluminium oxide nanoparticle for improve fouling resistance properties and separation efficiency. Experiments were conducted in separation of oil-water emulsion using the prepared composite membrane system. Results show that the membrane system yields 97.86% and 97.54% efficiency in terms of oil rejection for a pressure application of 60% stroke and 80% stroke respectively while the permeation fluxes are 2.433 ml/cm 2 -min and 1.944 ml/cm 2 -min for 80% stroke and 60% stroke pressure applications respectively. The results reveal that increase in pressure has less effect in the membrane efficiency. The application of aluminum oxide coating increased the efficiency of the membrane and reduced its fouling characteristics.