Sri Mulyati, Fachrul Razi, Syawaliah Muchtar, Aulia Chintia Ambarita, Sintia Puspita Dewi, Anisa Malau
This study aims to compare the effects of incorporating bio-silica derived from natural kaolin with commercial silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) as membrane additives. The use of natural kaolin as a bio-silica source presents a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional additives. This modification is anticipated to enhance the structural properties, performance, and long-term separation durability of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. Two flat-sheet membranes were fabricated using a composition of 18% PES, 1% additive, and 81% NMP as the solvent. The membranes were then characterized and evaluated based on flux, humic acid rejection, and long-term separation performance.Results showed that the M-Si-1 membrane exhibited higher water uptake, porosity, and average pore diameter, leading to a significantly higher flux of 86.83 L/m2h. However, this increased permeability came at the expense of a lower humic acid rejection rate (73.75%). In contrast, the M-Kao-1 membrane demonstrated a flux of 7.38 L/m2h but achieved superior rejection performance (94.66%) and exhibited a slightly lower contact angle, indicating better hydrophilicity and improved long-term stability. These findings suggest that M-Kao-1 is particularly well-suited for applications requiring consistent separation efficiency over extended operational periods, such as drinking water purification and industrial wastewater treatment. While M-Si-1 provided higher flux, the enhanced stability of M-Kao-1 makes it a more viable option for long-term use in separation processes. © 2026 Author(s)
Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh, 23111, Indonesia
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