IP–ZrO2/BC Nanofiltration Membranes: Preparation and Properties

Abstract

In this study, by adding zirconium anhydride (ZrO2) particles to a solution of N–methylmorphorphine–N–oxide (NMMO) and bamboo cellulose (BC), we used interfacial polymerization (IP) to obtain regenerated cellulose nanofiltration membranes (IP–ZrO2/BC–NFMs) that exhibited high water flow and rejection of salts and dyes. During interfacial polymerization, anhydrous piperazine (PIP) was used as the waterborne monomer, and 1,3,5–trimesoyl chloride (TMC) and n–hexane were used as the organic phase. The procedure was adjusted by analyzing the impacts of the concentrations of the water and organic phase monomers and the reaction duration on the performance of the developed IP–ZrO2/BC–NFMs. The chemical structures and morphologies of the as–obtained IP–ZrO2/BC–NFMs were examined using various characterization techniques. The performance of these membranes for removal of inorganic salts and dyes as well as their water flow were investigated. IP–ZrO2/BC–NFMs obtained at a pressure of 0.5 MPa, PIP concentration of 1.5 wt.%, TMC concentration of 0.15 wt.%, and polymerization period of 2 min displayed the highest water flux (55.12 LMH) and the best desalination effect (NaCl rejection rate = 19.15%). Over 90% of both Methyl Blue (MB) and Congo Red (CR) dyes were intercepted. We demonstrated that the addition of ZrO2 to nanofiltration membranes significantly enhanced the water flow of the IP–ZrO2/BC–NFMs as well as the salt ion rejection rate.