Enhancing water flux of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane by incorporation of bimodal silica nanoparticles

Zhe Yang; Jun Yin; Baolin Deng; Zhe Yang; Jun Yin; Baolin Deng

doi:10.3934/environsci.2016.2.185

AIMS Environmental Science

2016, Volume 3, Issue 2: 185-198. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2016.2.185

Previous Article Next Article

Research article

Enhancing water flux of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane by incorporation of bimodal silica nanoparticles

1.
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
2.
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering , University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211 USA
3.
Department of Civil Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong

Received: 23 February 2015 Accepted: 27 March 2016 Published: 30 March 2016

Modern reverse osmosis (RO)/nanofiltration (NF) membranes are primarily made of thin-film composites (TFC) fabricated through interfacial polymerization of m-phenylene diamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on a polysulfone (PSF) supporting membrane. In this study, two types of bimodal silica nanoparticles (~80 nm) with different internal pore structures were synthesized and incorporated into the polyamide (PA) thin-film layer during interfacial polymerization at concentrations varying from 0 to 0.1 wt%. The as-prepared membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy, and their performances were evaluated in terms of the water permeability and salt rejection. The results showed the water permeability increased with increasing BSN concentrations, reaching a maximum of 53.5 L m⁻²h⁻¹ at a bimodal silica nanoparticle (BSN) concentration of 0.5 wt% (pressure at 300 psi, NaCl concentration: 2000 ppm). This represented a flux increase of approximately 40%, while a near constant salt rejection of 95% was maintained. The study demonstrated that the internal micro-mesoporous structures of bimodal silica nanoparticles contributed significantly to the membrane performance, which is consistent with previous studies with relatively uniform internal pores.
- Bimodal silica nanoparticles,
- interfacial polymerization,
- polyamide,
- water purification, thin-film nanocomposite
Citation: Zhe Yang, Jun Yin, Baolin Deng. Enhancing water flux of thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane by incorporation of bimodal silica nanoparticles[J]. AIMS Environmental Science, 2016, 3(2): 185-198. doi: 10.3934/environsci.2016.2.185

Related Papers:

Abstract

Modern reverse osmosis (RO)/nanofiltration (NF) membranes are primarily made of thin-film composites (TFC) fabricated through interfacial polymerization of m-phenylene diamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on a polysulfone (PSF) supporting membrane. In this study, two types of bimodal silica nanoparticles (~80 nm) with different internal pore structures were synthesized and incorporated into the polyamide (PA) thin-film layer during interfacial polymerization at concentrations varying from 0 to 0.1 wt%. The as-prepared membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT-IR) spectroscopy, and their performances were evaluated in terms of the water permeability and salt rejection. The results showed the water permeability increased with increasing BSN concentrations, reaching a maximum of 53.5 L m⁻²h⁻¹ at a bimodal silica nanoparticle (BSN) concentration of 0.5 wt% (pressure at 300 psi, NaCl concentration: 2000 ppm). This represented a flux increase of approximately 40%, while a near constant salt rejection of 95% was maintained. The study demonstrated that the internal micro-mesoporous structures of bimodal silica nanoparticles contributed significantly to the membrane performance, which is consistent with previous studies with relatively uniform internal pores.

References

[1]	Mezher T, Fath H, Abbas Z, et al. (2011) Techno-economic assessment and environmental impacts of desalination technologies. Desalination 266: 263-273. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2010.08.035
[2]	Su J, Zhang S, Ling MM, et al. (2012) Forward osmosis: an emerging technology for sustainable supply of clean water. Clean Technol Envir 14: 507-511. doi: 10.1007/s10098-012-0486-1
[3]	Fritzmann C, Löwenberg J, Wintgens T, et al. (2007) State-of-the-art of reverse osmosis desalination. Desalination 216: 1-76. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2006.12.009
[4]	Lee KP, Arnot TC, Mattia D (2011) A review of reverse osmosis membrane materials for desalination—Development to date and future potential. J Membrane Sci 370: 1-22. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2010.12.036
[5]	Xu J, Wang Z, Yu L, et al. (2013) A novel reverse osmosis membrane with regenerable anti-biofouling and chlorine resistant properties. J Membrane Sci 435: 80-91. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.02.010
[6]	Daraei P, Madaeni SS, Salehi E, et al. (2013) Novel thin film composite membrane fabricated by mixed matrix nanoclay/chitosan on PVDF microfiltration support: Preparation, characterization and performance in dye removal. J Membrane Sci 436: 97-108. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.02.031
[7]	Zhu X, Loo HE, Bai R (2013) A novel membrane showing both hydrophilic and oleophobic surface properties and its non-fouling performances for potential water treatment applications. J Membrane Sci 436: 47-56. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.02.019
[8]	Li D, Wang H (2010) Recent developments in reverse osmosis desalination membranes. J Mater Chem 20: 4551. doi: 10.1039/b924553g
[9]	Wei J, Jian X, Wu C, et al. (2005) Influence of polymer structure on thermal stability of composite membranes. J Membrane Sci 256: 116-121.
[10]	Kim HI, Kim SS (2006) Plasma treatment of polypropylene and polysulfone supports for thin film composite reverse osmosis membrane. J Membrane Sci 286: 193-201. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2006.09.037
[11]	Chen G, Li S, Zhang X, et al. (2008) Novel thin-film composite membranes with improved water flux from sulfonated cardo poly(arylene ether sulfone) bearing pendant amino groups. J Membrane Sci 310: 102-109. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2007.10.039
[12]	Tarboush BJA, Rana D, Matsuura T, et al. (2008) Preparation of thin-film-composite polyamide membranes for desalination using novel hydrophilic surface modifying macromolecules. J Membrane Sci 325: 166-175. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2008.07.037
[13]	Yu S, Liu M, Liu X, et al. (2009) Performance enhancement in interfacially synthesized thin-film composite polyamide-urethane reverse osmosis membrane for seawater desalination. J Membrane Sci 342: 313-320. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2009.07.003
[14]	Mansourpanah Y, Momeni Habili E (2013) Preparation and modification of thin film PA membranes with improved antifouling property using acrylic acid and UV irradiation. J Membrane Sci 430: 158-166. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.11.065
[15]	Zhao L, Chang PCY, Yen C, et al. (2013) High-flux and fouling-resistant membranes for brackish water desalination. J Membrane Sci 425-426: 1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.09.018
[16]	Li S, Wang Z, Zhang C, et al. (2013) Interfacially polymerized thin film composite membranes containing ethylene oxide groups for CO2 separation. J Membrane Sci 436: 121-131. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.02.038
[17]	Buonomenna MG (2013) Nano-enhanced reverse osmosis membranes. Desalination 314: 73-88. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2013.01.006
[18]	Johansson EM, Ballem MA, Cordoba JM, et al. (2011) Rapid synthesis of SBA-15 rods with variable lengths, widths, and tunable large pores. Langmuir 27: 4994-4999. doi: 10.1021/la104864d
[19]	Kim E-S, Deng B (2011) Fabrication of polyamide thin-film nano-composite (PA-TFN) membrane with hydrophilized ordered mesoporous carbon (H-OMC) for water purifications. J Membrane Sci 375: 46-54. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2011.01.041
[20]	Jeong BH, Hoek EMV, Yan Y, et al. (2007) Interfacial polymerization of thin film nanocomposites: A new concept for reverse osmosis membranes. J Membrane Sci 294: 1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2007.02.025
[21]	Jadav GL, Singh PS (2009) Synthesis of novel silica-polyamide nanocomposite membrane with enhanced properties. J Membrane Sci 328: 257-267. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2008.12.014
[22]	Rajaeian B, Rahimpour A, Tade MO, et al. (2013) Fabrication and characterization of polyamide thin film nanocomposite (TFN) nanofiltration membrane impregnated with TiO2 nanoparticles. Desalination 313: 176-188. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2012.12.012
[23]	Yin J, Zhu G, Deng B (2013) Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs)/polysulfone (PSU) mixed matrix hollow fiber membranes for enhanced water treatment. J Membrane Sci 437: 237-248. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2013.03.021
[24]	Dumée L, Lee J, Sears K, et al. (2013) Fabrication of thin film composite poly(amide)-carbon-nanotube supported membranes for enhanced performance in osmotically driven desalination systems. J Membrane Sci 427: 422-430. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.09.026
[25]	Kim CE, Yoon JS, Hwang HJ (2008) Synthesis of nanoporous silica aerogel by ambient pressure drying. J Sol-Gel Sci Techn 49: 47-52.
[26]	Yin J, Kim ES, Yang J, et al. (2012) Fabrication of a novel thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane containing MCM-41 silica nanoparticles (NPs) for water purification. J Membrane Sci 423-424: 238-246. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.08.020
[27]	Wu H, Tang B, Wu P (2013) Optimizing polyamide thin film composite membrane covalently bonded with modified mesoporous silica nanoparticles. J Membrane Sci 428: 341-348. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.10.053
[28]	Mori H, Uota M, Fujikawa D, et al. (2006) Synthesis of micro-mesoporous bimodal silica nanoparticles using lyotropic mixed surfactant liquid-crystal templates. Micropor Mesopor Mat 91: 172-180. doi: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2005.11.033
[29]	Kosmulski M (2002) The pH-dependent surface charging and the points of zero charge. J Colloid Interface Sci 253: 77-87. doi: 10.1006/jcis.2002.8490
[30]	Lee HS, Im SJ, Kim JH, et al. (2008) Polyamide thin-film nanofiltration membranes containing TiO2 nanoparticles. Desalination 219: 48-56. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2007.06.003
[31]	Shawky HA, Chae SR, Lin S, et al. (2011) Synthesis and characterization of a carbon nanotube/polymer nanocomposite membrane for water treatment. Desalination 272: 46-50. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2010.12.051
[32]	Viart N, Niznansky D, Rehspringer JL (1997) Structural Evolution of a Formamide Modified Sol--Spectroscopic Study. J Sol-Gel Sci Techn 8: 183-187.
[33]	Wu H, Tang B, Wu P (2013) Optimization, characterization and nanofiltration properties test of MWNTs/polyester thin film nanocomposite membrane. J Membrane Sci 428: 425-433. doi: 10.1016/j.memsci.2012.10.042
[34]	Yin J, Deng B (2015) Polymer-matrix nanocomposite membranes for water treatment. J Membrane Sci 479: 256-275.
[35]	Yin J, Zhu G, Deng D (2016) Graphene oxide (GO) enhanced polyamide (PA) thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membrane for water purification. Desalination 379: 93-101. doi: 10.1016/j.desal.2015.11.001

Reader Comments

Your name:*

Email:*
© 2016 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)