Preparation and performance of biofouling resistant PAN/chitosan hollow fiber membranes

Abstract

The preparation of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) hollow fiber (HF) membranes has been carried out by dry-jet wet spinning. PAN HF membranes were coated with chitosan biopolymers 2 wt% by dip coating and further crosslinked by chemical reagents (Tri sodium polyphosphate). PAN HF (Virgin) and PAN/chitosan coated membrane were characterized by SEM and tested for water flux. Proteins Pepsin, Albumin, and Clay of 1000 ppm concentration were tested for separation efficiency. In addition, bacterial species Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were tested for fouling control efficiency and found out that PAN/chitosan membranes were quite superior to virgin PAN fibers. The adhesion of bacterial cells on the surface of the hollow fiber membranes assessed through alcian blue staining and SEM analysis. It was observed that PAN/chitosan membranes (310A and 310C) possessed best antibacterial activities (based on SEM results), qualifying them as a very promising candidates for anti-biofouling coatings.

Chitosan Nanocomposite Coatings for Food, Paints, and Water Treatment Applications

“…The antifouling effect of chitosan nanocoating was found to depend on its thickness. Chitosan-modified polyacrylonitrile (PAN) hollow fibre membranes were reported to have better antibacterial properties against E. coli and Bacillus subtilis compared to unmodified PAN membranes [139]. Composite polyethersulfone (PES) nanofiltration membranes synthesized by blending O-carboxymethyl chitosan (O-CMC) and iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles were found to have considerably higher water flux, permeation, and fouling resistance compared to the unfilled PES membrane [140].…”

Sewage Polluted Water Treatment via Chitosan: A Review

“…Weng et al approved the antimicrobial activity of a cellulose/CS membrane against Escherichia coli in disc diffusion experiments [88]. Studies concerning CS-coated polyacrylonitrile hollow fiber membranes approved the antimicrobial and antibiofouling effect in respect to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria [89,90]. Another aspect to consider is the hydrophilicity of the membranes, which is a major requirement in water-conditioning applications to obtain membrane permeability.…”

High performance, low‐fouling nanocomposite membrane with TiO2 nanomaterial in polysulfone matrix for advanced water treatment

“…17 Moreover, coating of chitosan over ultrafiltration membrane helped reduction in fouling. 18 Zeolite nanomaterial in polysulfone membrane matrix improved its permeation performance. 19 Iron-Nickel oxide nanocomposite membrane was capable of removing heavy metal from water.…”

“…Using nanomaterials such as Graphene oxide helped reduce biofouling of ultrafiltration membrane 17 . Moreover, coating of chitosan over ultrafiltration membrane helped reduction in fouling 18 . Zeolite nanomaterial in polysulfone membrane matrix improved its permeation performance 19 .…”