Preparación de membranas para producción de agua potable

Abstract

This paper describes the synthesis of asymmetric polymer membranes used for the production of drinking water. Filtration of water through the membranes is an alternative method for water treatment, where the membrane acts as a selective barrier which blocks the passage of some components. Water samples for this study were inoculated with 107 to 108 colony forming units (CFU) of Escherichia coli per ml. The process used was phase inversion, and the membranes were prepared beginning with polymer solutions, including polysulfone and polyvinylidene fluoride. In both cases polymethyl methacrylate was added to the polymeric solutions, using N,N-dimethylformamide as solvent. Some of the membranes prepared achieved bacterial removal of 99 to 100%, at a flow of 300 L/h m2. © 2007 Centro de Información Tecnológica.