(541c) GO-Imbedded Nanocomposite Hollow Fiber Membranes with Improved Antifouling Properties for Oily Wastewater Treatment

On account of the increasingly generated oil-water emulsion in diverse industries, the development of anti-fouling membranes is one of the most important imperatives in in order to economically remove oil from water and meet the discharging requirements. Currently, membrane fouling is still an inevitable challenge in various membrane applications. Molecular design of the membrane materials with balanced physicochemical properties would be one of the major approaches to eliminate fouling. In this work, a group of GO-imbedded nanocomposite hollow fiber membranes was investigated for oily water treatment, with the objectives of improving GO-polymer interfacial interaction and membrane anti-fouling properties via the formation of a simultaneously covalent and ionic inter-network. 1-Methylnicotinamide chloride (MNA) was selected to bridge the two parties. The reaction scheme was proposed and evidenced by FTIR and XRD analyses. The resultant membranes were systematically studied with respect to membrane microstructure, ultrafiltration performance and fouling behaviors. The responses of the membranes to oil-water fouling were evaluated by the resistance-in-series model and cyclic UF experiments with periodic backwashing. Substantial reductions in reversible, irreversible and adsorption-induced resistances as well as flux drop were observed for the nanocomposite membranes. Generally, their superior anti-fouling properties benefit from the contributions of (1) the hydrophilic nature of GO and MNA, (2) appropriate GO:MNA ratio and (3) synergetic effects between GO and MNA to overcome the interfacial voids and produce a balanced membrane structure.