Effect of Thermally Reduced Graphene on the Characteristics and Performance of Polysulfone Mixed Matrix Ultrafiltration Membranes
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Published:2023-08-21
Issue:8
Volume:13
Page:747
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ISSN:2077-0375
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Container-title:Membranes
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language:en
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Short-container-title:Membranes
Author:
Abdala Omnya12ORCID, Nabeeh Ahmed1, Rehman Abdul1, Abdel-Wahab Ahmed1ORCID, Hassan Mohammad3ORCID, Abdala Ahmed1ORCID
Affiliation:
1. Chemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Doha P.O. Box 23874, Qatar 2. Gulf Organization for Research & Development (GORD), Qatar Science & Technology Park, Tech1 Bldg, Suite 203, Doha P.O. Box 210162, Qatar 3. Center for Advanced Materials (CAM), Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Abstract
Ultrafiltration (UF) polymeric membranes are widely used in water treatment and support desalination and gas separation membranes. In this article, we enhance the performance of Polysulfone (PSF) mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) by dispersing different concentrations of thermally reduced graphene (TRG) nanofillers. The UF PSF-TRG MMMs were fabricated via the phase inversion process, and the impact of TRG loading on the characteristics of the membrane, including hydrophilicity, porosity, roughness, and morphology, were analyzed using a contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic mechanical analysis. Incorporating TRG into the PSF matrix led to favorable effects in the instantaneous de-mixing during phase inversion, increasing the porosity and hydrophilicity of MMMs and improving the mechanical properties of the membranes. Moreover, membrane performance was examined to remove dispersed oil from oil–water emulsion and support air-dehumidification membranes. MMM performance in terms of flux and oil rejection was superior to the control PSF membrane. Incorporating 0.25% TRG into PSF resulted in a 70% water flux increase and higher oil rejection compared to the control PSF membrane. As a support for air-dehumidification membranes, the MMM also demonstrated enhanced humidity reduction and an over 20% increase in water vapor permeance over the control PSF membrane. These results indicate that the PSF-TRG MMMs are an excellent candidate for reliable oil–water separation and as a support for air-dehumidification membranes.
Funder
Qatar National Research Fund
Subject
Filtration and Separation,Chemical Engineering (miscellaneous),Process Chemistry and Technology
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