Preparation and characterization of TiO₂/Pebax/(PSf‐PES) thin film nanocomposite membrane for humic acid removal from water

Abstract

New thin film composite (TFC) membrane was prepared via coating of Pebax on PSf‐PES blend membrane as support, and its application in wastewater treatment was investigated. To modify this membrane, hydrophilic TiO2 nanoparticles were coated on its surface at different loadings via dip coating technique. The as‐prepared membrane was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field emission SEM, and contact angle analysis. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis and surface SEM images indicated that TiO2 was successfully coated on the membrane surface. In addition, the results stated that the hydrophilicity and roughness of membrane surface increased by addition of TiO2 nanoparticles. Performance of TFC and modified TFC membranes was evaluated through humic acid removal from aqueous solution. Maximum permeate flux and humic acid rejection were obtained at 0.03 and 0.01 wt% TiO2 loadings, respectively. Rejection was enhanced from 96.38% to 98.92% by the increase of feed concentration from 10 to 30 ppm. Additionally, membrane antifouling parameters at different pressures and feed concentration were determined. The results indicated that surface modification of membranes could be an effective method for improvement of membrane antifouling property.

Assessment of Structural and Separation Properties of a PVDF/PD Composite Membrane Incorporated with TiO2 Nanotubes and SiO2 Particles

“…When 0.05 and 0.1% of TNTs were deposited on the PD/silica/PVDF membrane surface, the contact angle decreased to 60 and 44°, respectively. This trend could be due to the presence of hydroxyl groups of TNTs on the top surface of the resultant TFN­(S-T) membrane. , By increasing the TNT dosage from 0.1 to 0.3%, no obvious reduction in the contact angle was observed due to the agglomeration of TNTs.…”

“…By incorporation of TNTs (0.05%), R a remained approximately unchanged. However, by increasing the TNT dosage, at 0.1%, the surface roughness increased to a higher value due to the presence of TNTs for both TNF­(S-T)-0.1­(a) and TNF­(S-T)-0.1­(b). ,− For TFN­(S-T)-0.3, the roughness increased significantly to 14.36 nm due to the agglomeration of nanotubes on the surface.…”

“…Other nanomaterials such as TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , and Fe 3 O 4 are a proper group of inorganic fillers that can be used for the modification of membranes. Pertaining to the additives mentioned above, TiO 2 is considered an appropriate modifier because of its stability, commercial availability, ease of preparation, low cost, and super hydrophilic properties. , As reported in the literature, titania nanotubes (TNTs) demonstrate high specific surface area and pore volumes, which provide abundant adsorption sites and diffusion channels for water molecules . Accordingly, direct water passage can be provided by TNTs, leading to improved water permeability.…”

Thermoplastic Polyamide Elastomers: Synthesis, Structures/Properties, and Applications

“…[ 82 ] Therefore, a lot of efforts have been devoted to obtaining gas‐separation membranes with exceedingly high permeability and selectivity via using TPAEs (mostly Pebax). [ 84–87 ]…”

Ultra-desulfurization of sulfur recovery unit wastewater using thin film nanocomposite membrane

“…It is now well established from a variety of studies that the performance of TFC membranes is enhanced by embedding inorganic nanoparticles (NPs), such as silica dioxide (SiO 2 ) NPs [23,24] into the PA layer. Many researchers have also modified the composite membranes by incorporating TiO 2 NPs or its modified forms into the top thin selective layer [25][26][27][28][29] or its substrate [30].…”