Ultrafiltration application of cellulose acetate–polyurethane blend membranes

Synergistic effect of GO/ZnO loading on the performance of cellulose acetate/chitosan blended reverse osmosis membranes for NOM rejection

Declining freshwater resources along with their pollution are threatening the life existence on earth. To meet the freshwater demand, one of the most appropriate and possible ways which has been adopted all over the world is to reuse wastewater by removing its impurities. Among many water pollutants, natural organic matter (NOM) is found to be responsible as major precursor for the formation of other pollutants. Removal of NOM from wastewater is being done by using membrane filtration systems incorporated with certain nanofillers to increase membranes efficiency and permeability. In this study, novel nanocomposite reverse osmosis (RO) membranes were prepared using cellulose acetate and chitosan in N,N-Dimethyl formamide. Graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and zinc oxide (ZnO) in different concentration were loaded to modify the membranes for tuning their RO performance. The confirmation of the functional groups is demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy which revealed the specific peaks indicating the formation of the nano-composite membranes. The surface morphology was studied by scanning electronic microscopy which shows a gradual transformation of the membrane surface from voids-free to macro-voids filled surface up to threshold concentration of GO and ZnO. The thermal properties of GO based membranes were analyzed using thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry. The uniform interaction of the GO and ZnO with polymers induced the remarkable thermal properties of the synthesized membranes. Permeate flux and contact angle measurements were considered to estimate their water content (96%) capacity and NOM rejection (96%) using 0.1 ppm humic acid solution. The permeate flux, NOM rejection and the water content changed directly with GO and inversely with ZnO wt% in the membranes up to GO5 (GO:0.14: ZnO:0.03) whereas the contact angle exhibited the inverse relationship with GO and ZnO concentration in casting solution of the synthesized membranes. Hence it can be concluded that prepared RO membranes are suitable for NOM rejection and recommended for water treatment.

Cellulose acetate in fabrication of polymeric membranes: A review

Developing biodegradable polymers to fabricate filtration membranes is one of the main challenges of membrane science and technology. Cellulose acetate (CA) membranes, due to their excellent film-forming property, high chemical and mechanical stability, high hydrophilicity, eco-friendly, and suitable cost, are extensively used in water and wastewater treatment, gas separation, and energy generation purposes. The CA is one of the first materials used to fabricate filtration membranes. However, in the last decade, the possibility of modification of CA to improve permeability and stability has attracted the researcher's attention again. This review is focused on the properties of cellulose derivatives and especially CA membranes in the fabrication of polymeric separation membranes in various applications such as filtration, gas separation, adsorption, and ion exchange membranes. Firstly, a brief introduction of CA properties and used molecular weights in the fabrication of membranes will be presented. After that, different configurations of CA membranes will be outlined, and the performance of CA membranes in several applications and configurations as the main polymer and as an additive in the fabrication of other polymer-based membranes will be discussed.

High-Performance Polyurethane Nanocomposite Membranes Containing Cellulose Nanocrystals for Protein Separation

With the aim of exploring new materials and properties, we report the synthesis of a thermoplastic chain extended polyurethane membrane, with superior strength and toughness, obtained by incorporating two different concentrations of reactive cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) for potential use in kidney dialysis. Membrane nanocomposites were prepared by the phase inversion method and their structure and properties were determined. These materials were prepared from a polyurethane (PU) yielded from poly(1,4 butylene adipate) as a soft segment diol, isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) and hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) as isocyanate and chain extender, respectively (hard segment), filled with 1 or 2% w/w CNC. Membrane preparation was made by the phase inversion method using N,N-dimethylformamide as solvent and water as nonsolvent, and subjected to dead-end microfiltration. Membranes were evaluated by their pure water flux, water content, hydraulic resistance and protein rejection. Polymers and nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electronic and optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, infrared spectroscopy, strain stress testing and ¹³C solid state nuclear magnetic resonance. The most remarkable effects observed by the addition of CNCs are (i) a substantial increment in Young’s modulus to twenty-two times compared with the neat PU and (ii) a marked increase in pure water flux up to sixty times, for sample containing 1% (w/w) of CNC. We found that nanofiller has a strong affinity to soft segment diol, which crystallizes in the presence of CNCs, developing both superior mechanical and pure water flow properties, compared to neat PU. The presence of nanofiller also modifies PU intermolecular interactions and consequently the nature of membrane pores.

Characterization and antifouling properties of polyethylene glycol doped PAN–CAP blend membrane

The effects of polyethylene glycol (PEG) as an additive to a cellulose acetate phthalate–polyacrylonitrile blend membrane in the ultrafiltration range were investigated.

Membrane Made of Cellulose Acetate with Polyacrylic Acid Reinforced with Carbon Nanotubes and Its Applicability for Chromium Removal

Membranes made of carbon nanotubes and cellulose acetate with polyacrylic acid were designed in order to study their properties and their applicability for chromium removal. The membranes were prepared by phase inversion method using cellulose acetate and polyacrylic acid. Carbon nanotubes were added to the membrane during their process of synthesis in proportions of 1% by weight. The pores in the material are formed in layers, giving the effect of depth and forming a network. Both the carbon nanotubes and membranes were characterized by IR, Raman, and SEM spectroscopy. In addition, the concentration of acidic and basic sites and the surface charge in the materials were determined. The concentration of acid sites for oxidized nanotubes was 4.0 meq/g. The removal of Cr(VI) was studied as a function of contact time and of initial concentration of Cr(VI). The removal of Cr(VI) (~90%) mainly occurs in a contact time from 32 to 64 h when the initial concentration of Cr(VI) is 1 mg/L.

Preparation, characterization and antifouling properties of polyacrylonitrile/polyurethane blend membranes for water purification

70% PAN and 30% PU blend membrane shows the maximum antifowling characteristics during filtration of turbed surface water.

Performance enhancement of polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane by blending with polyurethane hydrophilic polymer

The aim of this work was to study the effect of two solvents such as N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) and dimethylacetamide (DMAc) used in the production of polysulfone (PSf) and polyurethane (PU) blend ultrafiltration membranes, influence permeability and selectivity. PSf/PU membranes were prepared by the phase inversion method using polymer concentrations of 100/0, 20/80 and 0/100 wt%. Permeation performance of the prepared membranes was evaluated in terms of pure water flux, water content and hydraulic resistance. It was found that the membrane composed of 20/80 wt% of PSf/PU in the presence of DMAc showed a water flux of 60.5 l m-2h-1 under transmembrane pressure of 345 kPa, and the water flux of 23.5 l m-2h-1 for 20/80 wt% of PSf/PU in the presence of DMF. With increasing the polarity of DMAc in the casting solution, an increase in porous layer thickness was observed, and then a good water flux of membranes can be obtained. It was found that the polar solvent caused the rapidly demixing of casting solution in coagulation bath and formed porous asymmetric membranes with defective skin layer. The permeation rates of proteins were measured with different molecular weights of the proteins.

Removal of cyanobacterial metabolites by nanofiltration from two treated waters

Cyanobacterial metabolites, both toxic and non-toxic, are a major problem for the water industry. Nanofiltration (NF) may be an effective treatment option for removing organic micropollutants, such as cyanobacterial metabolites, from drinking water due to its size exclusion properties. A rapid bench scale membrane test (RBSMT) unit was utilised to trial four NF membranes to remove the cyanobacterial metabolites, microcystin, cylindrospermopsin (CYN), 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin (GSM) in two treated waters sourced from the Palmer and Myponga water treatment plants. Membrane fouling was observed for both treated waters; however, only minor differences were observed between feed waters of differing natural organic matter (NOM) concentration. Low molecular weight cut-off (MWCO), or 'tight' NF, membranes afforded average removals above 90% for CYN, while removal by higher MWCO, or 'loose' NF membranes was lower. MIB and GSM were removed effectively (above 75%) by tight NF but less effectively by loose NF. Microcystin variants (MCRR, MCYR, MCLR, MCLA) were removed to above 90% by tight NF membranes; however, removal using loose NF membranes depended on the hydrophobicity and charge of the variant. Different NOM concentration in the treated waters had no effect on the removal of cyanobacterial metabolites.

Effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions on the rheological behavior and microstructure of a ternary cellulose acetate system

The effect of hydrophilic and hydrophobic interactions on the rheological and microstructural behavior of cellulose acetate (CA) in a ternary CA, N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMA), nonsolvent (alcohol) system was examined. Increasing nonsolvent concentration increased the viscosity and dynamic viscoelastic properties of the system. At a critical nonsolvent concentration, a sol-gel transition was observed, which was dependent on nonsolvent structure. Increasing the available hydrogen bonding groups within the nonsolvent led to higher modulus (stronger gels) and a sol-gel transition at lower nonsolvent concentration. Likewise, increasing the alkyl chain length (hydrophobicity) of the nonsolvent also enhanced the viscoelastic properties; however, hydrogen bonding, specifically the ability to hydrogen bond donate was critical for gel formation. For all gels studied, the elastic modulus shifts to higher values with increasing hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the nonsolvent and exhibits a power-law behavior with nonsolvent content. All of the gels exhibit similar fractal dimensions; however, confocal images of the different systems reveal distinct differences. Increasing the hydrophilicity of the nonsolvent led to a more uniform denser gel microstructure, whereas increasing the hydrophobicity resulted in a larger more heterogeneous network structure despite the increase in moduli.

Membrane-based techniques for the separation and purification of proteins: an overview

Membrane processes are increasingly reported for various applications in both upstream and downstream technology, such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, emerging processes as membrane chromatography, high performance tangential flow filtration and electrophoretic membrane contactor. Membrane-based processes are playing critical role in the field of separation/purification of biotechnological products. Membranes became an integral part of biotechnology and improvements in membrane technology are now focused on high resolution of bioproduct. In bioseparation, applications of membrane technologies include protein production/purification, protein-virus separation. This manuscript provides an overview of recent developments and published literature in membrane technology, focusing on special characteristics of the membranes and membrane-based processes that are now used for the production and purification of proteins.