Surface Modification of Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Ultrafiltration Membranes with Chitosan for Anti-Fouling and Antibacterial Performance

Leveraging the potential of antibacterial biomolecules in antibiofouling membrane design: A review

Biofouling, a prevalent issue in membrane technology, compromises the effectiveness and efficiency of membrane-based separation processes. The bottleneck prompts significant research into improving the antibacterial and antibiofouling characteristics of membrane. This review seeks to offer a thorough analysis and discussion on the utilization of biomolecules such as polysaccharides, fatty acids and enzymes for developing antibacterial and antibiofouling membranes. This review discusses the properties, advantages, and limitations of employing antibacterial biomolecules, along with their development and performance in membrane applications. A comprehensive elaboration is crucial to grasp the potential of these antibacterial biomolecules in enhancing membrane performance. This review is expected to offer insights into how these antibacterial biomolecules can optimize membrane performance by reducing biofouling, enhancing operational efficiency, ensuring water quality, and lowering costs. This review concludes that antibacterial polysaccharides and enzymes can serve as promising candidate to enhance the antibacterial properties of membranes. The review also addresses challenges and outlines future research directions concerning antibacterial biomolecules. The future directions outlined in the review focus on striking a balance between achieving strong antibacterial action and preserving essential membrane surface properties, thereby encouraging the creation of eco-friendly environment.

Separation properties and fouling resistance of polyethersulfone membrane modified by fungal chitosan

This research explores the enhancement of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes through the incorporation of chitosan derived from the lignicolous fungus Ganoderma sp. Utilizing wet phase inversion and solution casting techniques, chitosan was successfully integrated into the PES matrix, as confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), which indicated a high deacetylation degree of 75.7%. The incorporation of chitosan significantly increased the membrane hydrophilicity, as evidenced by a reduction in the water contact angle and a substantial improvement in pure water permeability, from 17.9 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 to 27.3 L m-2 h-1 bar-1. The membrane anti-fouling properties were also notably enhanced, with the Flux Recovery Ratio (FRR) increasing from approximately 60-80%. Moreover, the chitosan-modified PES/CS membrane, particularly at a 5% chitosan concentration, demonstrated exceptional efficacy in pollutant removal, achieving over 90% elimination of total suspended solids, cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), alongside a 79% reduction in color during the treatment of textile wastewater.

Graphene oxide-chitosan coated PVDF adsorptive microfiltration membrane: Enhancing dye removal and antifouling properties

This study investigates graphene oxide (GO) modified poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) membranes focusing on their dye rejection efficiency and their antifouling properties against bovine serum albumin (BSA). These membranes were prepared by modifying commercial PVDF membrane with a thin layer of GO nanosheets and chitosan (CS) using vacuum filtration. The synergistic physicochemical properties of the GO-CS/PVDF membranes were analyzed by XRD, FTIR, Raman, and XPS spectroscopy. The surface morphologies were observed by SEM and AFM microscopy, and WCA measurements. The deposition of GO and CS in the presence of citric acid resulted in a decrease in pore size and an increase in hydrophilicity. Modified membranes showed enhanced rejection of RB and MB, with rates increasing from 13.0 to 96.0 % and 28.3 to 69.1 %, respectively. Antifouling studies using BSA on selected membranes outperformed pristine membranes, which had higher irreversible fouling due to pore blockage. GO-CS/PVDF membranes exhibited higher flux recovery and lower irreversible fouling due to increased hydrophilicity, which prevents tight cake layer formation. Minimal detachment of the GO-CS layer during the long-term stability test is confirmed by minor fluctuations in dye flux and rejection. In summary, enhancing PVDF membranes with GO and CS augments dye rejection rates and bolsters antifouling properties.

Highly effective ultrafiltration membranes based on plastic waste for dye removal from water

Applicable and low-cost ultrafiltration membranes based on waste polystyrene (WPS) blend and poly vinylidene fluoride (PVDF) were effectively cast on nonwoven support using phase inversion method. Analysis was done into how the WPS ratio affected the morphology and antifouling performance of the fabricated membranes. Cross flow filtration of pure water and various types of polluted aqueous solutions as the feed was used to assess the performance of the membranes. The morphology analysis shows that the WPS/PVDF membrane layer has completely changed from a spongy structure to a finger-like structure. In addition, the modified membrane with 50% WPS demonstrated that the trade-off between selectivity and permeability is met by a significant improvement in the rejection of the membrane with a reduction in permeate flux due to the addition of PVDF. With a water permeability of 50 LMH and 44 LMH, respectively, the optimized WPS-PVDF membrane with 50% WPS could reject 81% and 74% of Congo red dye (CR) and methylene blue dye (MB), respectively. The flux recovery ratio (FRR) reached to 88.2% by increasing PVDF concentration with 50% wt. Also, this membrane has the lowest irreversible fouling (Rir) value of 11.7% and lowest reversible fouling (Rr) value of 27.9%. The percent of cleaning efficiency reach to 71%, 90%, and 85% after eight cycles of humic acid (HA), CR, and MB filtration, respectively, for the modified PS-PVDF (50%-50%). However, higher PVDF values cause the membrane's pores to become clogged, increase the irreversible fouling, and decrease the cleaning efficiency. In addition to providing promising filtration results, the modified membrane is inexpensive because it was made from waste polystyrene, and as a result, it could be scaled up to treat colored wastewater produced by textile industries. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Recycling of plastic waste as an UF membrane for water/wastewater treatment was successfully prepared and investigated. Mechanical properties showed reasonable response with adding PVDF. The modified membrane with 50% PS demonstrated that the trade-off between selectivity and permeability is met by a significant improvement in the rejection.

Decreasing free fatty acid of crude palm oil with polyvinylidene fluoride hollow fiber membranes using a combination of chitosan and glutaraldehyde

Crude palm oil (CPO) has emerged as a significant commodity in the economic and social development of producer nations.

Cacao Pod Husk Extract Phenolic Nanopowder-Impregnated Cellulose Acetate Matrix for Biofouling Control in Membranes

The ultrafiltration membrane process is widely used for fruit juice clarification, yet the occurring of fouling promotes a decline in process efficiency. To reduce the fouling potential in the membrane application in food processing, the use of natural phenolic compounds extracted from cocoa pod husk is investigated. The cocoa pod husk extract (CPHE) was prepared in phenolic nanoparticles form and added into the polymer solution at varying concentrations of 0.5 wt%, 0.75 wt%, and 1.0 wt%, respectively. The composite membrane was made of a cellulose acetate polymer using DMF (dimethylformamide) and DMAc (dimethylacetamide) solvents. The highest permeability of 2.34 L m⁻² h⁻¹ bar⁻¹ was achieved by 1.0 wt% CPHE/CA prepared with the DMAc solvent. CPHE was found to reduce the amount of Escherichia coli attached to the membranes by 90.5% and 70.8% for membranes prepared with DMF and DMAc, respectively. It is concluded that CPHE can be used to control biofouling in the membrane for food applications.

Increased E. coli bio-adsorption resistance of microfiltration membranes, using a bio-inspired approach

Cells have inherent anti-fouling properties. The mechanisms underpinning these natural properties inform the design of an anti-biosorption coating for a polyethersulfone microfiltration membrane, which includes polydopamine and chitosan layers. This tri-layered membrane is created using quick and easy synthesis method. Its ability to resist bio-adsorption and membrane extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) formation is investigated using the bacterium E. coli (ATCC 11775, 1.5 × 10⁷ CFU/mL). In addition, the proliferative bio-adsorption process is explored on the microfiltration membrane surface, using natural water under static and shaken conditions, while monitoring the bio-adsorption kinetics and EPS dynamic changes. The characterization results show that the modification by polydopamine and chitosan change the membrane surface morphology and increase its hydrophilicity. After 10 min dipping in 5 g/L chitosan solution, the pure water flux of the modified membrane is 5469 ± 30 L/(m²·h) (0.2 bar) and the contact angle decreases to 36.7 ± 1.0°, compared with 9889 ± 23 L/(m²·h) (0.2 bar) and 60.3 ± 1.5° for the unmodified polyethersulfone membrane, respectively. In proliferative bio-adsorption tests, the modified membrane is shown to decrease bio-adsorption by 0.4-2.3 orders of magnitude. However, no antimicrobial function is observed, probably due to the alkaline environment and insufficient functional amino groups. A series of linear and non-linear kinetic models is applied to fit the proliferative bio-adsorption process. The pseudo-second-order model is found to describe the proliferative bio-adsorption process best. Neither total organic carbon (TOC) nor protein is detected on the modified membrane surface. In contrast, on the unmodified PES membrane the ratios of protein/TOC (%), TOC/abundance ((μg/cm²)/CFU (log)) and protein/abundance ((μg/cm²)/CFU(log)) are 10%-16%, 0.17-0.28 and 0.02-0.04, respectively. No significant difference (p > 0.05) is found between static and shaken conditions. All these results point to improved anti-biosorption properties for water treatment applications, encouraging further studies on this membrane.