Evaluation of the Morphology and Performance of Polyether Sulfone Reverse Osmosis Composite and Non-composite Membranes

Abstract

Reverse osmosis membranes were prepared by the phase inversion technique using polyether sulfone (PES) dissolved in dimethylacetamide (DMAc) with and without the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The effects of the composition of the casting solution on membrane morphology and performance were investigated on the basis of ion removal from treated water. The membrane prepared from 22 wt.% PES demonstrated the best ion rejection. Higher flux was accessible by changing the polymer solution composition to 16 wt.% PES and 2.5 wt.% PVP. For preparation of polyamide composite membranes, the interfacial polymerisation technique was employed. In this procedure, hexamethylenediamine (HMDA) and sebacyl chloride (SC) were reacted with each other on the surface of a membrane support. Synthesis conditions, such as the concentration of monomers and the reaction time, significantly affect the performance of the composite membranes. The permeation rate and ion rejection capability of composite polyamide membranes were 40–80 (L/m² h) and 28–30% respectively with the initial feed conditions of 400 psi and 25 °C.