Polyurethane membrane: regeneration and chemical resistance

Abstract

Abstract The use of polyurethane membranes is inseparable from its several advantages, including the use of minimal energy, the use of fewer additional chemicals, and having good chemical resistance. The polyurethane membrane synthesized using red seaweed biomass (PUM-RSB) in this study was used as a filter in the ammonia filtration process in water. The specific objective of this research is to regenerate and test the chemical resistance of polyurethane membranes, in this study, an acid solution (H2SO4) and a salt solution (NaCl) were used for washing PUM-RSB, because it uses the principle of desorption from the ionic bonds formed or in other words ion exchange, characterization of functional groups shows that there is no change in structure, but a change in transmittance value (%T) between the polyurethane membranes before and after the washing process. The chemical resistance of PUM-RSB was evaluated in a solution of 3% HCl, 3% KOH, Aquadest, 50% Methanol, 5% NaCl, Fertilized soil and ordinary soil. PUM-RSB can be washed using 0.1N H2SO4 solution to regenerate the performance of the membrane, PUM-RSB tends to be resistant to some chemicals by experiencing weight loss of about 4-5% during one month of storage. The polyurethane membrane produced from red seaweed biomass has resistance to several chemicals, besides that the polyurethane membrane can be regenerated by a washing process. So that polyurethane membranes have the potential to be applied in various environmental conditions.