High Stability and Performance of Organic Pollutant Removal using PVDF-TiO2 Fabricated by Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation Process
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Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Informatics, Universitas PGRI Palembang, Palembang 30166, Indonesia
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Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas PGRI Palembang, Palembang 30166, Indonesia
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Energy and Advanced Material Manufacturing Lab, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia
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Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jalan Almamater Kampus USU Padang Bulan, Medan 20155, Indonesia
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Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia
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Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Medan 20155, Indonesia
Corresponding author
Adri Huda
Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Jalan Almamater Kampus USU Padang Bulan, Medan 20155, Indonesia
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ABSTRACT
The present study aims to prepare, characterize, and evaluate the performance of PVDF and PVDF-TiO2 membranes prepared using the non-solvent induced phase separation technique. The influence of TiO2 loading on membrane morphology, surface characteristics, and filtration behavior will systematically be examined. The membrane performance was assessed using both single-dye and binary-dye systems, using a single-based system of methylene blue as a cationic dye and acid yellow 17 as an anionic dye, and a binary-based system of mixed methylene blue-acid yellow 17. The results show that the pristine PVDF membrane has the morphology of an interconnected pore network due to the effect of the solvent-non-solvent exchange process. Further investigation also shows that the surface membrane has micropores where the incorporation of nanosized TiO2 reduces the pore size by coating and filling the membrane under optimum conditions, while excessive TiO2 leads to agglomeration, which negatively affects the mechanical stability, material hydrophilicity, and dye removal efficiency. The membrane containing a 10 % ratio of TiO2 (w/w) compared to PVDF weight exhibited the best overall performance, achieving removal efficiencies of 87.53% for methylene blue and 53.29% for acid yellow 17 in a single-dye filtration system. In the binary system, the rejection slightly decreased to 84.67% for methylene blue, whereas acid yellow 17 removal increased to 66.31%. These results suggest that separation in single-dye systems is primarily governed by electrostatic interactions between the dye molecules and the membrane surface, while binary systems involve a combination of size exclusion and charge-based interactions. These findings open the possibilities of the optimum condition to treat the complex wastewater, especially for those with large particle removal. The study also demonstrates that PVDF–TiO2 membranes are a suitable option for membrane since they has good mechanical and physical properties, are easy to prepare, and provide a promising potential for complex wastewater treatment applications