Development of Antifouling Polyvinylidene Fluoride and Cellulose Acetate Nanocomposite Membranes for Wastewater Treatment Using a Membrane Bioreactor
2025
Nabi Bakhsh Mallah | Ayaz Ali Shah | Abdul Majeed Pirzada | Imran Ali | Jeffrey Layton Ullman | Rasool Bux Mahar | Mohammad Ilyas Khan
Membrane technology has received great attention in the desalination and water treatment sectors over the last few decades. However, membrane fouling remains a critical issue that affects membrane performance, a phenomenon common in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). This major drawback can be overcome by the preparation of antifouling membranes using an electrospinning technique that generates a hydrophilic modification of membranes. In this study, nanocomposite polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and cellulose acetate (CA) polymer was fabricated to mitigate membrane fouling. Surface and mechanical characterization of the electrospun membrane was performed to assess morphology, chemical composition, and hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties. Anti-fouling performance of the composite PVDF/CA membrane was evaluated versus a neat PVDF membrane through bench-scale experiments. The PVDF/CA nanofiber membrane displayed a more hydrophilic nature, demonstrated by a lower water contact angle (101°: vs. 115°:) and increased wastewater flux (190 L/m2·:h. vs. 160 L/m2·:h), although the composite membrane demonstrated lower tensile strength (2.0 ±: 0.1 MPa vs. 1.7 ±: 0.1 MPa). The new material demonstrated greater anti-fouling performance compared to the neat PVDF membrane. Results suggest that this nanofiber material shows promise as an enhanced antifouling membrane that can overcome membrane fouling limitations.
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