engleski

Characterisation of polymeric nanofiltration membranes

The characterisation of commercial nanofiltration membranes is necessary to explain and to control membrane fouling. This study, therefore, characterises three different polymeric membranes (NFT-50, DL and DK) used. The molecular weight cut-off value was determined using a set of reference solutes within the molecular range of 150– 600 Da, whereas streaming potential measurements enabled quantification of the surface charge characteristics. Hydrophobicity was studied using contact angle measurements. The results indicated that even though all three membranes have very similar layer compositions which consisted of polyamide/polysulphone as top layers and as polyamide a support showed different values for the measured parameters. The NFT-50 membrane had the lowest MWCO value and the most hydrophilic membrane surface, followed by DK and DL. Membranes fouling as measured by the flux reduction were determined by streaming potential measurements and were accompanied by a positive change in zeta potential and the iso-electric point (IEP) of the membrane.

characterisation; nanofiltration membrane; MWCO; streaming potential; fouling; contact angle.

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