Development of Chitosan Polymer Membranes with Potential Use in Filtration Processes.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Chitosan (Cs), derived from shrimp shells, is a promising biopolymer for membrane fabrication due to its purity and molecular weight.
• Developing efficient and sustainable water filtration membranes is crucial for addressing global water scarcity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize chitosan-based membranes modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), and glycerol (Gly).
• To evaluate the suitability of these modified membranes for water filtration processes under pressure.

Main Methods:

• Chitosan membranes were prepared and modified with PEG, PVP, and Gly, then crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GA).
• Membrane characterization included FTIR, SEM, AFM, contact angle, tensile testing, TGA, DSC, and water filtration tests at 4.83 bar.
• Performance metrics such as flux, permeance, and hydraulic resistance were measured.

Main Results:

• Modified membranes (B2: Cs-PEG, B5: Cs-PEG-PVP) exhibited lower contact angles (56.7°, 58.9°) compared to Cs-GA (89.4°).
• Membrane B2 demonstrated a high flux of 2222.70 LMH and permeance of 460.19 LMH·bar⁻¹, with low hydraulic resistance (8.79 × 10¹¹ m⁻¹).
• Membrane B5 also showed improved filtration performance over the unmodified Cs-GA membrane.

Conclusions:

• Chitosan membranes modified with PEG and PVP (B2 and B5) are highly promising for efficient water filtration under pressure.
• These modified membranes offer enhanced properties for water purification applications.