<p>The polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polysulfone (PSF) blended polymer membranes were modified by decaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C<sub>12</sub>EO<sub>10</sub>) as a non-ionic surfactant. Polymeric solutions containing 17 wt.% of both PAN and PSF with a ratio of 80/20, and C<sub>12</sub>EO<sub>10</sub> with a mass concentration of 6 wt.% and aluminium oxide (Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>) nanoparticles with varying concentrations (1, 2, and 3 wt.%) were prepared. Adding 6 wt.% of C<sub>12</sub>EO<sub>10</sub> to the casting solution formed a membrane with distinguished hydrophilicity and fouling resistance, higher porosity, appreciable permeate flux (77.1 L/m<sup>2</sup>.h), and distinct vacuum gas oil rejection (92%) in comparison with the pure PAN ultrafiltration membrane. Further improvement for the PAN/PSF blend membrane using 2 wt.% of γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> in the presence of 6 wt.% of C<sub>12</sub>EO<sub>10</sub> (PPCA-6-2γ membrane) produced an excellent permeate flux of 189.2 L/m²·h, favorable hydrophilicity with a contact angle of 26.55°, and an optimistic COD removal%, expressing the VGO rejection, of 97.15%. The PPCA-6-2γ membrane revealed acceptable separation performance up to four cycles of filtration and exhibited enhanced antifouling properties with an FRR% of 95.4%. The fouling mechanism that determines the flux reduction during crossflow ultrafiltration by the PPCA-6-2γ membrane was studied using the Hermia models. The cake layer formation model provided the best match for the experimental behavior when analyzing the flux reduction with time for the PPCA-6-2γ membrane. The fabrication cost was determined for PPCA-6-2γ membrane to be $1.67/20 g, respectively. So, the local manufacturing costs of the PPCA-6-2γ membrane did not surpass 90 $/m<sup>2</sup> of the membrane.</p>
Membrane technology has emerged as a dynamic field of study in academia and industry for treating produced oily wastewater. ZrO2 nanoparticles (ZrO2 NPs) filler-based mixed matrix polyethersulfone/cellulose acetate microfiltration membranes were fabricated and inspected in the oily wastewater remediation. The fabricated bare PES membrane, PES/CA blended polymers membrane, and PES/CA blended polymers incorporating ZrO2 NPs (ZrO2@PES/CA) membranes by phase inversion technique were inspected by field emission scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and measurement of water contact angle and porosity. The ZrO2@PES/CA membrane which consisted of 0.5 wt.% ZrO2 NPs (0.5%ZrPC) afforded
... Show MoreIn this study, polymeric ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared by phase inversion method to obtain both antibacterial and organic antifouling properties. The membranes were cast from a solution of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and formative silver (Ag) nanoparticles were successfully immobilized on a polymer. This was done using a solvent N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) which is a solvent for the PVDF polymer meanwhile it is a reducing agent for silver ion. The effect of silver nanoparticles additives on the performance of polymeric ultrafiltration membrane was verified. Chemical composition and morphology of the surfaces of the membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
... Show MoreThis work studies developing ultrafiltration (UF) membranes using organic and inorganic additives to remove organic dyes at UF conditions with high effectiveness. Flat sheet (18 wt%) polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes were prepared via phase inversion and then developed by adding 6 wt% polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a pore former. Furthermore, the PVDF/PEG membranes were developed by embedding tin oxide nanoparticles (SnO2 NPs) with different contents of 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 wt%. The prepared membranes were examined for their performance in the dye removal before being characterized using the field emission scanning electron microscope, atomic force microscopy, contact angle, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, surface charge,
... Show MoreChitosan (CH) / Poly (1-vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVP-co-VAc) blend (1:1) and nanocomposites reinforced with CaCO3 nanoparticles were prepared by solution casting method. FTIR analysis, tensile strength, Elongation, Young modulus, Thermal conductivity, water absorption and Antibacterial properties were studied for blend and nanocomposites. The tensile results show that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the nanocomposites were enhanced compared with polymer blend [CH/(PVP-co-VAc)] film. The mechanical properties of the polymer blend were improved by the addition of CaCO3 with significant increases in Young’s modulus (from 1787 MPa to ~7238 MPa) and tensile strength (from 47.87 MPa to 79.75 MPa). Strong interfacial
... Show MoreMorphologies of ceramic hollow fiber membranes prepared by a combined phase-inversion and sintering method were studied. The organic binder spinning solution containing suspended Al₂O₃ powders was spun to a hollow fiber precursor, which was then sintered at elevated temperatures( 300 ˚C, 1400 ˚C, 25 ˚C) in order to obtain the Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membranes. The spinning solution consisted of polyether sulfone (PES), N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP), which were used as polymer binder, solvent, respectively. The prepared Al₂O₃ hollow fiber membranes were characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM). It is believed that finger-like void formation in asymmetric ceramic membranes is initiated by hydrodynamically unstable vis
... Show MoreFerric oxide nanoparticles Fe3O4NPs have been prepared by the coprecipitation method, which were used to functionalize the surface of electrospun nanofibers of polyacrylonitrile to increase their effectiveness in adsorption of Congo red (CR) dye from their aqueous solutions. The effect factors of adsorption were systematically investigated such as adsorbent mass, initial concentration, contact time, temperature, ionic strength and pH. The maximum adsorbed amount of the dye was at 0.003g of adsorbent. The adsorption of dye increased with increasing initial dye concentration and the system reaches to the equilibrium state at 150 min. The adsorbed dye capacity decreases with increasing temperature which indicates to the exothermic nature of ad
... Show MoreOne of the most recent research areas in subsurface applications, including well drilling, is the use of eco-friendly and sustainably synthesized nanoparticles to improve drilling fluid efficiency. Typically, Shale formations present significant challenges to traditional drilling fluids, including fluid infiltration and shale swelling, which jeopardize wellbore stability. Although water-based drilling fluids (WBM) are environmentally preferred, their performance often requires enhancement through advanced additives. This study thus examines the synthesis of silica (SiO₂) and alumina (Al₂O₃) nanoparticles (NPs) using sustainable methods, employing Iraqi bentonite for silica and recycled aluminum scrap for alumina, to improve WBM effici
... Show MoreNanostructured Al2O3has been applied as a protective coating against corrosion of the carbon steel (C.S) in seawater environment (3.5% NaCl) at temperatures range (298-328)K. Aluminananoparticles were deposited on carbon steel substrates by cathodic electrophoretic deposition (EPD) with ethanol as suspension medium and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) as polymeric charging agent. Meanwhile, thesurface morphology was examined using Atomic-force microscopy (AFM). The cross-section AFM showed that the particles sizes for the Al2O3 NPs is around 60-80 nm. The anticorrosion behaviour of coated C.S was investigated in 3.5% NaCl at temperature range 298-328 K by potentiodynamic polarization measurements. Results show that using PAA in suspension coat incr
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