Fabrication and Characterization of Cellulose Acetat / N-Methyl Pyrollidon Membrane for Microplastics Separation in Water

Indonesia is the fifth ranked country with plastic waste that is not managed properly. Over time, plastic breaks down into microplastics (MPs) less than 5 mm in diameter, which in water can cause damage. One method of removing MPs that is considered efficient is MPs microfiltration using membrane technology. To obtain an adequate membrane in removing MPs particles, it is necessary to modify the membrane both in the material and the membrane manufacturing process itself. So this study aims to study the effect of immersion time in the manufacturing process on the characteristics and performance of microfiltration membranes to remove MPs in water. In this study, the membrane will be made using the phase inversion method with a flat sheet membrane finish. The membrane is made using Cellulose Acetate (CA) polymer with n-Methyl Pyrolidone (NMP) solvent and aquadest as its non-solvent. The selected variable is the membrane immersion time for 10; 17,5; and 25 minutes and operating pressure at membrane performance test 0,3; 0,5; and 0,7 bar. Furthermore, the resulting membrane will be analyzed for its characteristics through porosity and water content analysis, contact angle analysis, and SEM analysis. In addition, membrane performance tests are carried out to determine the ability of membranes when separating microplastics in water. CA/NMP flat sheet membrane fabrication produces white membrane flatsheet. The results of the experiments that have been carried out, obtained CA/NMP (15:85) membrane with a variable immersion time of 25 minutes has the best characteristics and performance. The membrane is white, has a thickness of 126μm, and is hydrophilic. The membrane also has a supporting layer with a finger-shaped pore structure and sponge. In addition, CA/NMP (15:85) membranes have a %microplastic rejection value in water reaching 99%.