In the 21<sup>st</sup> century, the generation of clean water at an affordable cost, which is directly related to the ability to mass-produce high quality components, such as water filtration membranes, at high rates and low cost, is of paramount interest. Coating from solution is well suited for roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing, with potential advantages of scalability, cost, and waste minimization. Water filtration membranes are subject to the degenerative phenomenon of biofouling, which degrades flux over time. To reduce biofouling, natural biocide nanoparticles have been added to the membrane. The primary objective of this work is to understand mechanisms that impact the scaling of cellulose acetate (CA) water filtration membranes from laboratory to commercial production rates, and to understand their influence on filtration properties and fouling resistance. R2R slot die coating systems and CA, plain and nanocomposite, dopes across multiple filtration types (e.g., micro, ultra, and nano) are used in this study. Traditional and dual cavity slot dies are considered. Single-type filtration membranes are fabricated using a traditional slot die, while asymmetric membranes (e.g., simultaneously coated multiple-filtration types) are fabricated using the dual cavity slot die. Formulations of CA solutions of different concentrations (14% - 21%) are used for all base solutions. CA nanocomposite dopes have silver (Ag) nanoparticles added by physical or chemical binding at 0.5%. After slot die coating phase inversion is performed to obtain a solid membrane. The membranes are characterized and tested for flux, fouling resistance, and structural performance. Preliminary results show that compared with conventional single layer CA plain or AgCA nanocomposite membranes, asymmetric AgCA nanocomposite membranes can increase filtration rates, reduce fouling, and improve membrane life. These results not only impact membrane performance, but also the potential to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost, since several processing steps can be eliminated.

Exploring the scalability of water filtration membranes using roll-to-roll

2019 Fall National Meeting

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