Fabrication of polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane for reducing organic compounds in water

• Published in: IOP conference series. Earth and environmental science Vol. 1183; no. 1; pp. 12065 - 12074
• Main Authors: Lubis, M R, Suraiya, S, Fazira, F, Dasmara, A N H, Zuhra, Z, Muhammad, A, Hidayat, M H, Rosnelly, C M, Syamsuddin, Y, Sofyana, S, Fathanah, U
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.05.2023
• Subjects: Additives; Electron microscopes; Fabrication; Hydrophobicity; Mechanical properties; Membrane permeability; Membrane structure; Membrane structures; Membranes; Organic compounds; Performance enhancement; Permeability; Polyethersulfones; Polymers; Porosity; Rejection; Scanning electron microscopy; Tensile strength; Ultrafiltration
• ISSN: 1755-1307; 1755-1315
• DOI: 10.1088/1755-1315/1183/1/012065

Abstract Research has been carried out on hydrophobic membranes based on polyethersulfone (PES) polymers using Mg(OH) 2 additives. PES membranes are made by blending polymers using Mg(OH) 2 additive because structurally bound OH groups play an important role. In addition, Mg(OH) 2 is also cheap and easy to obtain and non-toxic. This study aims to improve the performance of PES membranes, by studying the effect of adding Mg(OH) 2 additives into the membrane system which was evaluated by analyzing changes in surface shape using scanning electron microscope, changes in chemical structure using ATR-FTIR, membrane porosity, and membrane mechanical properties. The performance of the membrane being reviewed is water permeability testing and rejection of organic compounds. The results of SEM photos showed that the addition of additives affects changes in the membrane structure, where large macrovoids formed on the modified membrane decreases the tensile strength of the membrane. Additives also increases the porosity of the membrane in the range of 12–40%. The addition of additives also leads to an increase in membrane performance, with a higher permeability of 56.4 L/m 2 ·h·bar with 65% rejection. These findings indicate that PES ultrafiltration membrane with Mg(OH) 2 additive can be used to reduce organic compounds in water.