Fabrication, characterization, and modification of a novel polyethersulfone (PES) mix matrix membrane via BiFeO3 as a hydrophilic additive to improve permeability and antifouling features.

Abstract

In the present study, the synthesis of a novel polyethersulfone (PES/BiFeO3NPs) ultrafiltration membrane was achieved through a phase inversion method. For the first time, different concentrations of BiFeO3NPs were added to the casting solution in order to better understand how they affect the properties and performance of modified PES membranes: weight percents of 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4. The neat and modified PES membranes were characterized comprehensively via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), porosity, and contact angle (CA) techniques. The modified membranes demonstrated a substantially higher level of purified water flow and a high rejection of MB dye and BSA solutions when compared to the pristine PES membrane, in addition to increasing the membrane fouling resistance. An increase of about 65% over the bare PES membrane (20.2 kg/h.m²) was seen in the pure water flux, which reached a peak of 52.5 kg/h.m² at a BiFeO₃ concentration of 0.3 wt.% in the casting solution. The PES/BiFeO₃ membranes outperformed the neat PES in MB dye and BSA removal by a margin of over 99%. The membrane with the highest antifouling capability was the 0.3 wt.% BiFeO₃ (SM3) membrane, as determined by the fouling resistance of the membranes examined using methylene blue dye (MB) solution filtration. The results of this study indicate that BiFeO₃ is a promising nanoadditive with great potential for use in the production of UF membranes for wastewater treatment.