U. Fathanah, C.M. Rosnelly, Z. Zuhra, S. Muchtar, W. Rinaldi, A. Abubakar, F. Rahmah, A.C. Ambarita, M. Yusuf, D.S. Ramadhani
Membrane technology is a separation technology commonly used in water or wastewater treatment. Polyethersulfone (PES) is a polymer material commonly used in membrane manufacturing, but PES is hydrophobic, making it susceptible to fouling. Fouling can reduce membrane performance. Therefore, modifications in membrane manufacturing are needed, namely by adding hybrid silica/chitosan additives to the membrane matrix. This study aims to improve the hydrophilicity and performance of PES membranes by adding hybrid silica/chitosan additives using the Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) method. Two variations of hybrid additive concentrations were used: 1% and 5%. SEM studies showed the formation of macrovoids and finger-like pores and an increase in membrane pore size. Characterization results also showed an increase in membrane porosity to 49.34% and 54.01%, respectively, followed by a decrease in water contact angle (WCA) to 61.46° and 51.46°, respectively, compared to membranes without additives (M-0), which had a WCA of 80°. In addition, the pure water flux value increased from 2.3 L/m2.h (M-0) to 57.78 L/m2.h (SC1) and 75.23 L/m2.h (SC5). However, when the additive concentration was increased by 5%, the humic acid rejection decreased by 60.01%. This result indicates that the hybrid silica/chitosan additive is effective in improving membrane hydrophilicity and flux, but the addition of the additive concentration needs to be considered to optimize membrane selectivity. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.
Department of Chemical Engineering, Syiah Kuala University, Darussalam, Aceh, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia
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