Effect of graphene oxide on modifying polyethersulfone membrane performance and its application in wastewater treatment

Abstract

In the present paper, Graphene Oxide (GO) particles were prepared via Hummer method, and used in synthesis of composite membranes. Polyethersulfone (PES) nanocomposite membranes were synthesized via wet phase inversion technique, and using water as non-solvent. The membrane morphology was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Change in the membrane surface hydrophilicity after modification was studied using contact angle measurements. The performance of fabricated PES nanocomposite membranes was measured by evaluating pure water flux, salt rejection, dye retention and heavy metals removal. The results indicated that by increasing the filler percentage up to 5 wt.%, the contact angle between the water droplet and the membrane surface was decreased and the droplet was more dispersed on the membrane surface which implies higher hydrophilicity of the prepared nanocomposite membranes. Moreover, the experimental results corroborated that addition of GO to the membrane significantly improved the pure water flux, salt rejection and heavy metals removal, and can be used as a novel methodology for preparation of high performance membranes in water treatment. Over the last decades, substantial development in chemical industries has eventuated in an increment in the processing speed and a reduction in energy consumption 1. It has been recognized that separation and purification of different materials is one of the most significant techniques in chemical and biochemical engineering which has major contribution to total processing costs 2-6. In order to implement the industrial processes, raw material components must be separated and the obtained products should be purified as well. On the other hand, in the majority of chemical industries, the requirement of separation procedures seems to be unavoidable to efficiently manage the deleterious impressions of greenhouse gases on environment 7-9. In this regard, membranes have been developed for the efficient separation and purification of various types of materials in solid, liquid and gas states. Although the membrane separation procedure is more recent than distillation, adsorption, crystallization and liquid-liquid extraction, significant advancements have been observed in its application over the past two decades due to the efficiency and ease of operation 4,5,10-17. Both polymeric and inorganic membranes have been developed for the purpose of separation and reaction. Polysulfone-based membranes such as Polyethersulfone (PES) are utilized for the fabrication of nanofiltration membranes because of their outstanding mechanical/thermal resistance, chemical compatibility and stability over an extensive range of pH 18. The main disadvantage of the PES membranes is its intrinsic hydrophobic nature. Due to the absorption of organic impurities, these membranes are susceptible to fouling and blockage which leads

2D Material Based Advanced Membranes for Separations in Organic Solvents

“…The integration of 2D materials results in the formation of interfacial voids between polymer chains and nanofillers. [44][45][46][47] These voids provide additional channels for molecular transport, leading to a higher permeability as compared to pure Figure 1. The number of published research on 2D material membranes for separation in organic solvents from 2010 to 2020.…”

Latex-Based Membrane for Oily Wastewater Filtration: Study on the Sulfur Concentration Effect

“…Moreover, in the latex compounding method, GO could be easily dispersed in the water phase of the emulsion latex and lead to homogenous filler dispersion due to its oxygen functional groups. Addition of GO into membrane matrix was reported to increase antifouling properties, separation efficiency and mechanical strength of the membrane [26,27]. Many ways to fabricate porous polymeric membranes such as stretching [28], sintering [29], phase inversion [30,31] and track etching [32] had been reported in the literature.…”

Theoretical investigations on the effect of absorbent type on carbon dioxide capture in hollow-fiber membrane contactors

“…The world’s economy is highly dependent on fossil fuels and its consumption has significantly increased worldwide due to increasing in energy demands and consequently it has caused the enhanced level of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ). The enhancement of atmospheric CO 2 and its influence on environment, temperature, and earth’s ecosystem have been clear in the late decades [ 1 – 3 ]. As a result, the reduction of carbon dioxide emission becomes a critical issue.…”