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Development of Antifouling Polysulfone Membranes by Synergistic Modification with Two Different Additives in Casting Solution and Coagulation Bath: Synperonic F108 and Polyacrylic Acid

Burts, Katsiaryna S. LU ; Plisko, Tatiana V. ; Sjölin, Mikael LU ; Rodrigues, Gonçalo ; Bildyukevich, Alexandr V. ; Lipnizki, Frank LU orcid and Ulbricht, Mathias (2022) In Materials 15(1).
Abstract
This study deals with the development of antifouling ultrafiltration membranes based on polysulfone (PSF) for wastewater treatment and the concentration and purification of hemicellulose and lignin in the pulp and paper industry. The efficient simple and reproducible technique of PSF membrane modification to increase antifouling performance by simultaneous addition of triblock copolymer polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol (Synperonic F108, Mn =14 × 103 g mol−1) to the casting solution and addition of polyacrylic acid (PAA, Mn = 250 × 103 g mol−1) to the coagulation bath is proposed for the first time. The effect of the PAA concentration in the... (More)
This study deals with the development of antifouling ultrafiltration membranes based on polysulfone (PSF) for wastewater treatment and the concentration and purification of hemicellulose and lignin in the pulp and paper industry. The efficient simple and reproducible technique of PSF membrane modification to increase antifouling performance by simultaneous addition of triblock copolymer polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol (Synperonic F108, Mn =14 × 103 g mol−1) to the casting solution and addition of polyacrylic acid (PAA, Mn = 250 × 103 g mol−1) to the coagulation bath is proposed for the first time. The effect of the PAA concentration in the aqueous solution on the PSF/Synperonic F108 membrane structure, surface characteristics, performance, and antifouling stability was investigated. PAA concentrations were varied from 0.35 to 2.0 wt.%. Membrane composition, structure, and topology were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The addition of PAA into the coagulation bath was revealed to cause the formation of a thicker and denser selective layer with decreasing its pore size and porosity; according to the structural characterization, an interpolymer complex of the two additives was formed on the surface of the PSF membrane. Hydrophilicity of the membrane selective layer surface was shown to increase significantly. The selective layer surface charge was found to become more negative in comparison to the reference membrane. It was shown that PSF/Synperonic F108/PAA membranes are characterized by better antifouling performance in ultrafiltration of humic acid solution and thermomechanical pulp mill (ThMP) process water. Membrane modification with PAA results in higher ThMP process water flux, fouling recovery ratio, and hemicellulose and total lignin rejection compared to the reference PSF/Synperonic F108 membrane. This suggests the possibility of applying the developed membranes for hemicellulose concentration and purification. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Membranes, Fouling, Membrane modification, Biorefineries
in
Materials
volume
15
issue
1
article number
359
pages
23 pages
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85122943117
  • pmid:35009502
ISSN
1996-1944
DOI
10.3390/ma15010359
project
IETS Annex XVII - Membranes in Biorefineries
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
eb852fb3-76a2-4ab2-9cd7-fdc70f492a82
date added to LUP
2022-01-06 13:31:22
date last changed
2023-12-14 16:31:10
@article{eb852fb3-76a2-4ab2-9cd7-fdc70f492a82,
  abstract     = {{This study deals with the development of antifouling ultrafiltration membranes based on polysulfone (PSF) for wastewater treatment and the concentration and purification of hemicellulose and lignin in the pulp and paper industry. The efficient simple and reproducible technique of PSF membrane modification to increase antifouling performance by simultaneous addition of triblock copolymer polyethylene glycol-polypropylene glycol-polyethylene glycol (Synperonic F108, M<sub>n</sub> =14 × 10<sup>3</sup> g mol<sup>−1</sup>) to the casting solution and addition of polyacrylic acid (PAA, M<sub>n</sub> = 250 × 10<sup>3</sup> g mol<sup>−1</sup>) to the coagulation bath is proposed for the first time. The effect of the PAA concentration in the aqueous solution on the PSF/Synperonic F108 membrane structure, surface characteristics, performance, and antifouling stability was investigated. PAA concentrations were varied from 0.35 to 2.0 wt.%. Membrane composition, structure, and topology were investigated by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The addition of PAA into the coagulation bath was revealed to cause the formation of a thicker and denser selective layer with decreasing its pore size and porosity; according to the structural characterization, an interpolymer complex of the two additives was formed on the surface of the PSF membrane. Hydrophilicity of the membrane selective layer surface was shown to increase significantly. The selective layer surface charge was found to become more negative in comparison to the reference membrane. It was shown that PSF/Synperonic F108/PAA membranes are characterized by better antifouling performance in ultrafiltration of humic acid solution and thermomechanical pulp mill (ThMP) process water. Membrane modification with PAA results in higher ThMP process water flux, fouling recovery ratio, and hemicellulose and total lignin rejection compared to the reference PSF/Synperonic F108 membrane. This suggests the possibility of applying the developed membranes for hemicellulose concentration and purification.}},
  author       = {{Burts, Katsiaryna S. and Plisko, Tatiana V. and Sjölin, Mikael and Rodrigues, Gonçalo and Bildyukevich, Alexandr V. and Lipnizki, Frank and Ulbricht, Mathias}},
  issn         = {{1996-1944}},
  keywords     = {{Membranes; Fouling; Membrane modification; Biorefineries}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{01}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Materials}},
  title        = {{Development of Antifouling Polysulfone Membranes by Synergistic Modification with Two Different Additives in Casting Solution and Coagulation Bath: Synperonic F108 and Polyacrylic Acid}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ma15010359}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/ma15010359}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}