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Microfiltration performance of regenerated cellulose membrane prepared at low temperature for wastewater treatment

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Abstract

A series of regenerated cellulose membranes with pore diameters ranging from 21 to 52 nm have been prepared by dissolving cellulose in 5 wt% LiOH/12 wt% urea aqueous solution re-cooled to −12 °C. The influences of cellulose concentration on the structure, pore size, and the mechanical properties of the membrane were studied by using Wide angle X-ray diffraction, scanning electron micrography and tensile testing. Their pore size, water permeability, equilibrium-swelling ratio and fouling behaviors of the cellulose membranes were characterized. The water-soluble synthetic and natural polymers as organic matter were used to evaluate the microfiltration performance of the regenerated cellulose membrane for wastewater treatment in aqueous system. The results revealed that the organic matter with molecular weight more than 20 kDa effected significantly on the membrane pore density, and reducing factor a 2, whereas that having molecular weight less than 20 kDa exhibited a little influence on the membrane pore size reducing factor a 1. Furthermore, a simple model to illustrate of microfiltration process of the RC membrane for wastewater treatment was proposed.

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Abbreviations

a 1 :

Membrane pore size change coefficient (m−1)

a 2 :

Pore density change coefficient (m−1)

d :

Thickness of wet membrane (cm)

J 0 :

Permeability of the pure water (m3/m2 s)

J vi :

Flux of polluted water per unit membrane area (m3/m2 s)

N i :

Total number of pores per unit area (-)

P :

Pressure (Pa)

P r :

Porosity of the wet membrane (%)

Q :

Equilibrium-swelling ratio (-)

q i :

The accumulated permeate volume (m3)

R :

Pore diameter (cm)

r :

The radius of the wet membrane (cm)

R i :

The mean pore diameter (cm)

RC:

Regenerated cellulose

S c :

The area of all diffraction peaks of crystalline

S a :

The area of all diffraction peaks of amorphous

UFR :

Ultrafilter rate of membrane for pure water (mL h−1 m−2 mm Hg−1)

W :

Weight of the membrane at dry state (g)

ρc :

Density of bulk cellulose (g cm−3)

ρm :

Density of the wet membrane containing pore (g cm−3)

σb :

Tensile strength (MPa)

εb :

Breaking elongation (%)

η :

The solvent viscosity (N s/m2)

δ:

The length of the pores (μm)

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program, 2010CB732203), and National Natural Science Foundation of China (20374025). Dr. S. Liu thanks the goal-oriented project (SKLF-MB-200805) from State Key Laboratory of Jiangnan University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Wuhan University, 430072, Wuhan, China

    Shilin Liu, Jian Zeng & Lina Zhang

  2. College of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, 214122, Wuxi, Jiangsu, China

    Shilin Liu & Dandan Tao

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  1. Shilin Liu
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  2. Jian Zeng
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  3. Dandan Tao
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  4. Lina Zhang
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Correspondence to Lina Zhang.

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Liu, S., Zeng, J., Tao, D. et al. Microfiltration performance of regenerated cellulose membrane prepared at low temperature for wastewater treatment. Cellulose 17, 1159–1169 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10570-010-9450-6

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