Original Articles
K. Rambabu* and S. Velu
Abstract
A series of poly(ethersulfone) (PES) ultrafiltration membrane blended with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and calcium chloride (CaCl2) was prepared by phase inversion technique. CaCl2 was varied from 0 – 3 wt% in the casting solution composition to study its effect on the blend membranes. Prepared membranes were analyzed for their morphology, ultrafiltration (UF) features and dye rejection performance. Surface roughness was increased drastically for high concentration CaCl2 composite membranes. Surface hydrophilicity was improved due to the addition of CaCl2 in the composite membranes. Porosity measurements confirmed the enhanced porous nature of PES/PAA/CaCl2 blend membranes than the pristine PES membrane. Pure water flux of the CaCl2 composite membranes was improved to a maximum of four times as compared with pure PES membrane. Dye rejection studies revealed that the blend membranes had almost the same rejection as that of the pristine membrane with a largely enhanced flux rate. Results obtained clearly indicated the better performance of 1 wt% CaCl2 blend membrane among the synthesized UF membranes.