Surface modification of PES-nano ZnO membrane for enhanced performance in rubber wastewater treatment

Abstract

Modifications of PES-nano ZnO membranes have been carried out to improve their performances and stability. In this study, modification of the membrane by subjecting the membrane under UV irradiation and thermal treatment were investigated. The nano hybrid PES-nano ZnO membranes were fabricated via dry/wet phase inversion technique. The effects of nano-filler incorporation and surface modification on the membrane performances in term of flux and rejection were studied. The characteristics of the fabricated membranes were also invetigated. The SEM images showed that the membranes had asymmetric structure with finger-like micropores layer. The introduction of ZnO nanoparticles combined with surface modification significantly imrpoved the structural and morphological properties as well as the perm-selectivity performance. Membrane selectivity reached 87% for COD rejection, however the average flux value decreased to 2.42 L. m-2.h-1 with the increasing of thermal annealing time The best membrane performance was obtained on the composition of 17 wt % PES, 1% nano ZnO, 2 min of UV irradiation and thermal annealing at 180 °C for 0.5 minutes.