Anna Siekierka

Preparation of Fouling-Resistant Nanofibrous Composite Membranes for Separation of Oily Wastewater

A facile and low-cost method has been developed for separation of oily wastewater. Polyvinylidene fluoride/polyacrylonitrile (PVDF/PAN) nanofibers laminated on a supporting layer were tested. In order to create highly permeable and fouling-resistant membranes, surface modifications of both fibers were conducted. The results of oily wastewater separation showed that, after low vacuum microwave plasma treatment with Argon (Ar) and chemical modification with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), the membranes had excellent hydrophilicity, due to the formation of active carboxylic groups. However, the membrane performance failed during the cleaning procedures. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) was grafted onto the surface of membranes to give them highly permeable and fouling-resistance properties. The results of the self-cleaning experiment indicated that grafting of TiO2 on the surface of the membranes after their pre-treatment with Ar plasma and NaOH increased the permeability and the anti-fouling properties. A new surface modification method using a combination of plasma and chemical treatment was introduced.

Membranes with a plasma deposited titanium isopropoxide layer

Porous polypropylene membranes were coated with plasma polymerized titanium isopropoxide in a 75 kHz plasma reactor. It was noted that the presence of air in the plasma chamber increased the amount of deposited polymer. Selection of the process parameters enabled obtaining membranes with up to 300 εg cm−2 of polymerized titanium isopropoxide. Deposition of the titanium oxide layer resulted in the reduction of permeate flux but it significantly improved the membrane photocleaning ability. The recovery index reached the level of 95 % for membranes with the highest amount of the titanium oxide deposit.

Surface modification of electrospun nanofibrous membranes for oily wastewater separation

This paper presents a method for producing nanofibrous composite membranes for the separation of a vegetable oil–water mixture. Neat polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibres and PVDF/PAN mixtures were used to prepare the membranes. Argon plasma treatment, followed by a chemical surface modification, was applied to alter the hydrophilicity and oleophobicity of the membranes. The obtained results showed that the membranes change their surface character (hydrophilicity and oleophilicity) in relation to the mixing ratio of the PVDF/PAN nanofibres and the surface modification parameters. These results can extend the application of PVDF, PAN and PVDF/PAN nanofibrous membranes to the treatment of oily water.

Modification of poly(vinyl chloride) films by aliphatic amines to prepare anion-exchange membranes for Cr (VI) removal

ABSTRACT A method for the synthesis of anion-exchange membranes by the grafting of ethylenediamine (EDA), diethylenetriamine (DETA) or pentaethylenehexamine (PEHA) onto poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) film has been presented. The chemical structure was determined by means of Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and the membranes were characterized by ion-exchange capacity, chloride and nitrogen contents, water regain and surface energetics. The obtained membranes were evaluated in the Donnan dialysis (DD) of hexavalent chromium solutions. Among the membranes, those modified with EDA and DETA showed the best separation features: high flux and high recovery factor (RF). The highest degree of recovery was observed for membranes prepared by the casting of PVC solution in (THF), followed by grafting EDA.

Preparation of various nanofibrous composite membranes using wire electrospinning for oil-water separation

Due to growing demand for production of safe water a search of new materials for water purification is of critical issue. Their production should be of low cost and offers easily scalable manufacturing protocol. In this study, we have described preparation and properties of hydrophilic/oleophobic microfiltration membranes produced by means of wire electrospinning. Selective separation of oil or water was tested for oil-water emulsion by using a dead-end filtration unit. The obtained data allowed us to claim membranes as excellent separators for splitting emulsions.