Development of ZSM-22/Polyethersulfone Membrane for Effective Salt Rejection

ZSM-22/polyethersulfone membranes were prepared for salt rejection using modelled brackish water. The membranes were fabricated via direct ZSM-22 incorporation into a polymer matrix, thereby inducing the water permeability, hydrophilicity and fouling resistance of the pristine polyethersulfone (PES) membrane. A ZSM-22 zeolite material with a 60 Si/Al ratio, high crystallinity and needle-like morphologies was produced and effectively used as a nanoadditive in the development of ZSM-22/PES membranes with nominal loadings of 0-0.75 wt.%. The characterisation and membrane performance evaluation of the resulting materials with XRD, BET, FTIR, TEM, SEM and contact angle as well as dead-end cell, respectively, showed improved water permeability in comparison with the pristine PES membrane. These ZSM-22/PES membranes were found to be more effective and superior in the processing of modelled brackish water. The salt rejection of the prepared membranes for NaCl and MgCl₂ was effective, while they exhibited quite improved water flux and flux recovery ratios in the membrane permeability and anti-fouling test. This indicates that different amounts of ZSM-22 nanoadditives produce widely divergent influences on the performance of the pristine PES membrane. As such, over 55% of salt rejection is observed, which means that the obtained membranes are effective in salt removal from water.