Author(s)

A. S. Al-Hobaib, M. S. Alsuhybani, Kh. M. Al-Sheetan

Abstract

The present work is focused on developing a suitable chemical membrane with polyamide, incorporating co-solvents. There are many benefits of using a membrane technique. It is cost-effective and can be fabricated easily and its materials have less effect on the environment. Therefore, the general membrane techniques have been used for the desalination of ocean water as a worldwide strategy to meet the demand for clean water. But in some cases the use of this membrane becomes limited when pore size, distribution of pores and low selectivity for pollutants/contaminants are considered. The fabrication of such a membrane with co-solvents is expected to lead to a solution to address some of these problems. In this study, a polyamide thin-film composite membrane was developed by interfacial polymerization in non-polar heptane solvent, using acetone as a co-solvent medium. The modified membranes were characterized by different techniques. Scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy images showed a smooth membrane surface. Thermo-gravimetric analysis indicated that these developed membranes possessed high thermal stability. High contact angles were observed in the presence of acetone as a co-solvent in the polyamide membrane. Similarly, high fluxes were observed with low salt rejection ability.

Keywords

interfacial polymerization, RO membrane modified, co-solvent