Abstract
Fouling is one of the drawbacks in membrane filtration systems, reducing the water quality and decreasing the lifespan of a membrane filtration system. In this study, we propose a surface modification on polyethersulfone (PES) membrane by using plasma polymerization with heptylamine as the precursor by varying the deposition time from 3 to 15 min to induce hydrophilic surface of the membrane without changing the bulk properties of PES membrane. Cross-flow filtration and water contact angle of the PES membrane were used to measure permeate flux and Congo red rejection. Based on permeate flux, we calculate the fouling tendencies of each membrane and the result showed that sample with 5-min deposition time produces the best permeate flux (58% increase) and the lowest fouling tendencies (65% decrease) when compared to the untreated membrane. From the EDX mapping, the deposition enables to introduce a stable nitrogen element into the membrane with the homogeneous distribution. This plasma-based post-surface modification demonstrates the encouraging potential to improve significantly the permeate flux, rejection and fouling properties compared to the untreated commercial filtration membrane.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for this research from the Ministry of Education Malaysia and University Kebangsaan Malaysia under the Grant GUP-2018-126 and AKU254:HICOE(FASA2) is gratefully acknowledged.
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Suhaimi, A., Mahmoudi, E., Siow, K.S. et al. Nitrogen incorporation by plasma polymerization of heptylamine on PES membrane for removal of anionic dye (Congo red). Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 18, 1443–1452 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02879-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-020-02879-7