Effect of alumina nanoparticles on the antifouling properties of polycarbonate‐polyurethane blend ultrafiltration membrane for water treatment

Abstract

In this work, the flexibility of polycarbonate (PC) membrane was improved by using polyurethane (PU) additive. However, due to the hydrophobic nature of the PU polymer, alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles were incorporated to PC‐PU blend membrane. The prepared membranes have been used in a submerged membrane system to eliminate humic acid molecules from polluted water in both the presence and absence of coagulant (polyaluminum chloride). The obtained results showed that introduction of PU into PC membrane diminished hydrophilicity and enhanced porosity. Moreover, the flexibility of the PC membrane remarkably improved. Introduction of 1.5 wt% Al2O3 to the PC‐PU blend membrane led to enhancement in both porosity and hydrophilicity. Results of morphological studies showed that in the presence of Al2O3 nanostructures, finger‐shaped voids seemed to elongate across the entire thickness of the prepared membrane. Atomic force microscopy images showed that incorporation of PU and Al2O3 to the PC membrane resulted in a smoother surface. The antifouling performance of membranes revealed that the PC‐PU/Al2O3 nanocomposite membrane possessed the most favorable antifouling features owing to its lowest surface roughness as well as highest hydrophilicity. For all membranes utilizing coagulant (PAC), the irreversible fouling ratio and the flux recovery ratio significantly diminished and increased, respectively.

Effect of Transmembrane Pressure on Antifouling Properties of PVC/Clinoptilolite Ultrafiltration Nanocomposite Membranes

“…This study aimed at the preparation of PVC/clinoptilolite UF nanocomposite membranes for the removal of HA from contaminated water, in a submerged membrane system. According to the literature, besides membrane modification, operational conditions such as the transmembrane pressure (TMP) affect membrane fouling [28,29]. So, in this study, the effect of the TMP on the performance of the PVC/clinoptilolite nanocomposite membranes was also investigated.…”

Incorporation of amino‐functionalized ZnO nanoparticles into polycarbonate/polyvinyl alcohol thin‐film membrane for enhanced water treatment

“…[21,31] In other words, the active hydrophilic functional groups' presence on the surfaces of the membranes resulted in a greater attraction of water molecules by nanoparticles. [20,32]…”

A Scalable Heat Pump Film with Zero Energy Consumption

“…In 2020, for example, China’s primary energy consumption reached 4.98 billion TCE, resulting in 9.9 billion tons of CO 2 emissions [ 1 ]. Researchers focus on finding solutions from environmentally friendly materials and natural materials that are commonly used in various fields such as energy storage [ 2 , 3 , 4 ] and photocatalysis [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ] to alleviate environmental pressures. In recent years, there have been many remarkable results, such as: Zinatloo-Ajabshir et al for the first time using banana extract, prepared under mild conditions with good hydrogen storage performance (after 20 cycles, the discharge capacity of 2611 mA h/g) pure Pr 2 Ce 2 O 7 nanostructures [ 2 ].…”