Membrane technology is one of the most important topics in today's research for achieving metal removal and/or recovery from wastewater. Membranes are increasing their importance on industrial scale due to their simple operation, easy scale-up and efficient energy usage. The development of advanced membrane technologies with controlled and novel pore architectures is critical for the achievement of more efficient and cost effective purification. In this study, the effects of evaporation time, temperature and coagulation bath on structure and performance of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes were investigated. The membranes were prepared by dry/wet phase inversion method using PES as polymer, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as additive and N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) as solvent. Water, ethanol and isopropanol were used as nonsolvents for coagulation bath. The morphology of the membranes was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The membrane performance was evaluated in terms of pure water flux, heavy-metal ion (Cu2+, Ni2+ and Co2+) rejection, fouling analysis and recovery of the membranes. The morphological studies showed that the average pore sizes of the membrane were reduced and there was a tendency for formation of denser layer on the surface with respect to increasing evaporation time and temperature. The pure water permeation results were also consistent with SEM images showing a decrease in water flux at longer evaporation time and higher temperature. Pure water flux measurements also indicated that the membranes were ranging from microfiltration to nanofiltration membranes depending on the evaporation time and temperature. In meantime the rejection of metal ions were improved by optimizing the evaporation time and temperature. The fouling analysis indicated that the membrane resistance can be controlled by optimizing the experimental parameters (evaporation time, temperature and coagulation bath). In conclusion, rejection of heavy metal ions, fouling resistance and recovery of PES membranes were improved by optimizing the evaporation time, temperature and coagulation bath.

Heavy metal ion removal from wastewater by PES membranes - ranging from microfiltration to nanofiltration

247th National Meeting (2014)

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