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A Competitive Study Using Electrospinning and Phase Inversion to Prepare Polymeric Membranes for Oil Removal
Thamer Diwan1,2, Zaidun N Abudi1, Mustafa H Al-Furaiji3
1Environmental Engineering Department, College of Engineering, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad 10052, Iraq.
Membranes
|May 26, 2023
Summary
Electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber membranes offer superior oil removal compared to traditional cast membranes. Higher PAN concentrations enhance performance, with electrospun membranes showing better water flux and oil rejection due to increased porosity and hydrophilicity.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Environmental Engineering
Background:
- Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) is a versatile polymer for membrane fabrication.
- Electrospinning offers tunable properties for nanofiber membranes.
- Phase inversion is a conventional method for producing cast membranes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the oil removal performance of electrospun PAN nanofiber membranes with PAN cast membranes.
- To investigate the effect of PAN precursor solution concentration on membrane properties and performance.
- To analyze the surface morphology, topography, wettability, and porosity of different PAN membranes.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of electrospun PAN nanofiber membranes at 10, 12, and 14% PAN/dimethylformamide (DMF) concentrations.
- Fabrication of PAN cast membranes using the phase inversion technique.
- Evaluation of membrane performance in a cross-flow filtration system for oil removal.
- Characterization of membrane surface morphology, topography, wettability, and porosity.
Main Results:
- Increasing PAN concentration enhanced surface roughness, hydrophilicity, and porosity, improving membrane performance.
- Electrospun PAN membranes exhibited higher water flux and oil rejection than cast PAN membranes.
- The electrospun 14% PAN/DMF membrane achieved 97% oil rejection and 250 LMH water flux, outperforming the cast membrane (94% rejection, 117 LMH flux).
- Electrospun membranes showed significantly higher porosity (96%) compared to cast membranes (58%) at 14% PAN concentration.
Conclusions:
- Electrospun PAN nanofiber membranes are superior to cast PAN membranes for oil removal applications.
- Membrane performance is directly influenced by PAN precursor concentration and fabrication technique.
- The enhanced properties of electrospun membranes, including higher porosity and hydrophilicity, drive their improved filtration efficiency.
