(18f) Performance Evaluation of Novel Nano-Structured Modified Mesoporous Silica/Polyetherimide Composite Membranes for the Treatment of Oil/Water Emulsion

The threat to the environment due to discharges from industries particularly petroleum industry is of great concern
owing to the fact that the threat could be realized at any stage from exploration/drilling to transportation. In this work
mesoporous silica (SBA-15) was modified using a bio-inspired coating and was used as filler in the preparation of
efficient, robust polyetherimide composite ultrafiltration membranes. The membranes prepared by this facile two-step
approach were seen be highly hydrophilic with improved porosity and pore-interconnectivity and a thinner skin layer.
The rougher top surfaces of these membranes imparted an oleophobic character under water. The composite
membranes exhibited improved emulsion/water flux while maintaining >99% rejection of oil from a synthetic motor
oil/water/surfactant emulsion. The composite membranes were investigated for its long-term efficiency in the removal
of oil from produced water. The flux decline was only < 15% for up to 9 hours with three intermittent backwashes and
the oil/grease content of the permeate was lower than 10 ppm which is within the limits of discharge. The composite
membranes exhibited a significant increase in the bacterial anti-adhesion property when evaluated using a gramnegative
bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and gram-positive bacterium, Bacillus subtilis. The results from this
study indicate that polydopamine decorated SBA-15 incorporated polyetherimide membranes holds a promising
potential to be employed for oil-water emulsion separation.