Modification of Thin Film Composite Pressure Retarded Osmosis Membrane by Polyethylene Glycol with Different Molecular Weights

• Published in: Membranes (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 3; p. 282
• Main Authors: Idris, Siti Nur Amirah, Jullok, Nora, Lau, Woei Jye, Ma'Radzi, Akmal Hadi, Ong, Hui Lin, Ramli, Muhammad Mahyidin, Dong, Cheng-Di
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28.02.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Additives; Alternative energy sources; Cellulose acetate; Contact angle; Deionization; Energy resources; flat sheet thin-film composite membrane; Glass substrates; internal concentration polarization; Membrane permeability; Membranes; Microscopy; Molecular weight; Morphology; Osmosis; Permeability; Polyethylene glycol; Polymerization; Polymers; Polysulfone; Polysulfone resins; power density; Pressure; pressure retarded osmosis; Renewable resources; Salinity; Sodium chloride; Solvents; Spectrum analysis; structural parameter; Thin films; United States > US; Germany; power density; flat sheet thin-film composite membrane; pressure retarded osmosis; internal concentration polarization; structural parameter
• ISSN: 2077-0375; 2077-0375
• DOI: 10.3390/membranes12030282

An investigation of the effect of the molecular weight of polyethylene glycol (PEG) on thin-film composite (TFC) flat sheet polysulfone membrane performance was conducted systematically, for application in forward osmosis (FO) and pressure retarded osmosis (PRO). The TFC flat sheet PSf-modified membranes were prepared via a non-solvent phase-separation technique by introducing PEGs of different molecular weights into the dope solution. The TFC flat sheet PSf-PEG membranes were characterized by SEM, FTIR and AFM. The PSf membrane modified with PEG 600 was found to have the optimum composition. Under FO mode, this modified membrane had a water permeability of 12.30 Lm h and a power density of 2.22 Wm , under a pressure of 8 bar in PRO mode, using 1 M NaCl and deionized water as the draw and feed solutions, respectively. The high water permeability and good mechanical stability of the modified TFC flat sheet PSF-PEG membrane in this study suggests that this membrane has great potential in future osmotically powered generation systems.