Potential Evaluation of PVDF/PAN Membranes for Separation of Oil from Industrial Waste

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the experiment is to characterize the Modified Membrane from PVDF/PAN and its application in removing the Emulsified oil waste from the Industry. Objective: To get the maximum separation of the emulsified oil from the waste water, composite (PVDF/PAN) membrane was prepared in the laboratory. Methods: New PVDF/PAN blend based ultrafiltration membranes were synthesized by phase inversion method. The blend membrane was treated at room temperature with aqueous sodium hydroxide solutions. Results: The facile eco-friendly preparation of PVDF/PAN blended membrane has a wide potential for practical applications in emulsified wastewater remediation. The chemical functionality of the modified membranes was confirmed by IR spectra. Conclusion: For the separation of emulsified oily wastewater, the as-prepared composite (PVDF/PAN) membrane could effectively separate oil/ water emulsions with separation efficiency of above 99.8%. Unmodified membranes (A and B) showed 95.4-99.8% rejection. However, in the case of membranes C and D, oil rejection was higher for the modified membranes as compared to the unmodified membranes.