Journal of Membrane Science & Technology

Excellent biofouling alleviation of thermoexfoliated vermiculite blended polyethersulfone ultrafiltration membrane

International Conference on Membrane Science and Technology

September 11-12, 2017 | Paris, France

Yasin Orooji, Feng Liang, Amir Razmjou and Wanqin Jin

Nanjing Tech University, PRC
University of Isfahan, Iran
The University of New South Wales, Australia

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Membra Sci Technol

Abstract:

Flux and antifouling properties of mixed matrix membranes(MMM) are yet to attain satisfactory status. The aim of this study is to find a method for mitigating the biofouling of polyethersulfone (PES) ultrafiltration membranes via blending of thermoexfoliated vermiculite (VMT). Flow cytometry analysis shows that the behaviors of Bacillus subtilis 168 as a Gram-positive bacterium and Escherichia coli DH5 alpha as a Gram-negative bacterium were different. Hence, cell property is a suspected contributory factor in biofilm formation. Accordingly, considering the local predominant bacterial strains, regionally customized membrane could scientifically be an expert solution for biofouling mitigation. Fabricated composite membranes have showed a higher flux compared to control PES membrane. Among all composite membranes, the PES-VMT0.10 had the highest flux of 476.4 L/m2h (LMH) before fouling, and the highest flux of 210.7 LMH after three cycles of usage. In addition, the rejection rate of the PES-VMT0.15 BSA sample was higher than 77%, while that of the PES-VMT0.10 was over 84%. The results of static BSA adsorption test and the bacterial attachment test indicated that the membranes with macro-roughness on their surface showed better anti-biofouling resistance. The antifouling properties of the modified membranes were also improved due to their optimal wettability. In one hand, hydrophilicity of membranes caused damaging both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and bacteriocidal effect. On the other hand, BSA adsorption and bacterial attachment on the membrane surface were affected by pores diameter.