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Articolo in rivista, 2023, ENG, 10.3390/membranes13120893

Study on UF PES Membranes Spray-Coated with Polymerizable Bicontinuous Microemulsion Materials for Low-Fouling Behavior

S. De, J. Heer, S. Sankar, F. Geiger, E. Gukelberger, F. Galiano, R. Mancuso, B. Gabriele, A. Figoli, J. Hoinkis,

Center of Applied Research (CAR), Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), Moltkestrasse 30, 76133 Karlsruhe, Germany Laboratory of Industrial and Synthetic Organic Chemistry (LISOC), Department of Chemistry and Chemical Technology (CTC), University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci 12/C, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy; Institute on Membrane Technology (ITM-CNR), Via P. Bucci 17c, 87036 Rende, CS, Italy

The low-fouling propensity of commercially available polyethersulfone (PES) membranes was studied after modification of the membrane surface via coating with polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsion (PBM) materials. The PBM coating was polymerized within 1 min using ultraviolet (UV) light exposure. It was detected on the PES membrane surface via attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. The PBM coating led to an average 10% increase in the hydrophilicity of the PES membrane surface and an increase in total organic content (TOC) removal by more than 15%. Flux-step tests were conducted with model foulant comprising 100 mg L-1 humic acid (HA) solution to detect the onset of critical fouling, characterized by a rapid and substantial increase in TMP, and to compare the fouling propensity of commercially available PES membranes with PBM-coated membranes. The critical flux was found to be about 40% higher for PBM spray-coated membrane and 20% lower for PBM casting-coated membrane than the commercial PES membrane. This demonstrates the performance advantages of the thin PBM layer spray-coated on PES membrane compared to the thick casting-coated PBM layer. The study showcases the potential of PBM spray-coated membranes over commercial PES membranes for use in membrane bioreactors (MBR) for wastewater treatment systems with reduced maintenance over longer operation periods.

Membranes (Basel) 13 (893)