1. Functionalization of flat sheet and hollow fiber microfiltration membranes for water applications
- Author
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Wang Rong, Shi Lei, Sebastián Hernández, Lindell Ormsbee, and Dibakar Bhattacharyya
- Subjects
Materials science ,General Chemical Engineering ,Microfiltration ,Nanoparticle ,02 engineering and technology ,010402 general chemistry ,01 natural sciences ,Article ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,medicine ,Environmental Chemistry ,Organic chemistry ,Water transport ,Polyvinylpyrrolidone ,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment ,General Chemistry ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Polyvinylidene fluoride ,0104 chemical sciences ,Membrane ,Chemical engineering ,chemistry ,Surface modification ,Water treatment ,0210 nano-technology ,medicine.drug - Abstract
Functionalized membranes containing nanoparticles provide a novel platform for organic pollutant degradation reactions and for selective removal of contaminants without the drawback of potential nanoparticle loss to the environment. These eco-friendly and sustainable technology approaches allow various water treatment applications through enhanced water transport through the membrane pores. This paper presents "green" techniques to create nanocomposite materials based on sponge-like membranes for water remediation applications involving chlorinated organic compounds. First, hydrophobic hollow fiber microfiltration membranes (HF) of polyvinylidene fluoride were hydrophilized using a water-based green chemistry process with polyvinylpyrrolidone and persulfate. HF and flat sheet membrane pores were then functionalized with poly(acrylic acid) and synthesized Fe/Pd nanoparticles. Surface modifications were determined by contact angle, surface free energy and infrared spectroscopy. The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by electronic microscopy, X-ray spectrometry and image analysis. Nanoparticle sizes of 193 and 301 nm were obtained for each of the membranes. Depending on the concentration of the dopant (Pd) in the membrane, catalytic activity (established by trichloroethylene (TCE) reduction), was enhanced up to tenfold compared to other reported results. Chloride produced in reduction was close to the stoichiometric 3/1 (Cl-/TCE), indicating complete absence of reaction intermediates.
- Published
- 2015