Characterization, Performance, and Toxicological Assessment of Polysulfone-Sulfonated Polyether Ether Ketone...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Membrane technology faces challenges in removing small, charged molecules from water.
• Polysulfone (PSf) and sulfonated polyether ether ketone (SPEEK) are promising membrane materials.
• Minimizing solvent leaching and environmental toxicity is crucial for membrane applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate and characterize PSf and SPEEK membranes using NIPS.
• To evaluate the membranes' performance in separating charged dyes.
• To assess and mitigate solvent leaching and associated toxicity using a Safe(r)-by-Design (SbD) approach.

Main Methods:

• Membrane fabrication via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) using NMP solvent.
• Structural, morphological, and performance characterization of membranes.
• Toxicity assessment using *Caenorhabditis elegans* and evaluation of solvent leaching after annealing at different pH.

Main Results:

• Fabricated PSf and SPEEK membranes exhibited selective rejection of cationic dyes via size exclusion and electrostatic interactions.
• Annealing significantly reduced trapped solvent leaching and permeate toxicity, especially at neutral pH.
• The Safe(r)-by-Design (SbD) approach demonstrated effectiveness in minimizing membrane toxicity.

Conclusions:

• Membrane annealing is an effective strategy to reduce solvent leaching and improve safety.
• The SbD approach is vital for developing high-performance, low-toxicity membranes.
• These findings contribute to safer and more sustainable membrane-based water treatment solutions.