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Single-Step Surface Hydrophilization on Ultrafiltration Membrane with Enhanced Antifouling Property for Pome Wastewater Treatment

Authors :
Norfadhilatuladha Abdullah
Norhaniza Yusof
Mohammed Abdullah Dahim
Muhammad Faris Hamid
Lau Woei Jye
Juhana Jaafar
Farhana Aziz
Wan Norhayati Wan Salleh
Ahmad Fauzi Ismail
Nurasyikin Misdan
Source :
Separations, Vol 10, Iss 3, p 188 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

High organic materials in palm oil mill effluent (POME) can result in serious water pollution. To date, biological treatment has been used to reduce the environmental risks of these effluents prior of their discharge into water streams. However, the effluents’ dark brownish colour remains as a significant issue that must be addressed, as it affects the overall quality of water. Although membrane technology has been frequently used to address these difficulties, membrane fouling has become a serious limitation in POME treatment. On the other hand, zwitterions with balanced charge groups have received growing interest in the fabrication of antifouling membranes due to their hydrated nature. The development of a simple and efficient covalent bonding technique to improve the stability of zwitterions on membrane surfaces remains a challenge. By grafting and co-depositing polyethylenimine (PEI)-based zwitterion (Z-PEI) with super hydrophilic polydopamine (PDA) on the surface of a commercial polysulfone (PSf) ultrafiltration membrane at ambient temperature, a new zwitterionic surface with a neutral surface charge was created (PDA/Z-PEI). This study aims to investigate the effect of different loading ratios of PDA/Z-PEI (1:1, 1:2, and 1:3) and evaluate their performance on treating brownish coloured anaerobically treated POME (AT-POME). SEM and FTIR analysis showed the successful incorporation of the PDA/Z-PEI membrane while the zwitterionic feature is indicated by zeta potential analysis. Water flux analysis demonstrated that a lower water flux was achieved for M-ZPEI membranes as compared to the PSf and PSf-MDPA membranes, attributed by the tight skin layer of PDA-ZPEI. In the development of a tight hydration layer on the membrane surface by zwitterions, zwitterionic membranes demonstrated excellent antifouling capabilities, particularly PDA/Z-PEI with a loading ratio of (1:2) with a flux recovery ratio of around 84% and colour rejection of 81.75%. Overall, this research contributes to the development of a unique coating with improved stability and antifouling properties by altering the membrane surface in a simple and reliable manner.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
22978739
Volume :
10
Issue :
3
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Separations
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.181e3edc78b048a2b0008c758375cc5b
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/separations10030188