Anti-fouling enhancement PVDF mixed matrix membranes via kaolinite-APS incorporation: performance in mixed dye filtration
摘要
Membrane fouling remains a critical challenge limiting the performance of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes in dye wastewater treatment. To address this, development of a novel PVDF membrane modified with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane-functionalized kaolinite (Kaolinite-APS) and its filtration performances were studied. The composite membranes were fabricated with Kaolinite-APS concentrations varying from 2 to 8 wt% via phase inversion and characterized using ATR-FTIR, XRD, TGA, and SEM. Meanwhile, membrane performance was analyzed by measuring flux, rejection, and FRR on a mixture of Methylene Blue (MB), Reactive Yellow (RY), and Humic Acid (HA) and their application to dyes contaminated river water. The results showed that the addition of Kaolinite-APS was able to improve the hydrophilicity and performance including permeability, selectivity, and anti-fouling properties of the membrane. The optimal membrane (6 wt% Kaolinite-APS) achieved remarkable rejection rates of > 92% for dyes in a mixed-dye solution, and 97.94% for river water. Furthermore, the modified membrane demonstrated an outstanding flux recovery ratio (FRR) of up to 91.08%. These results indicate that Kaolinite-APS has the potential to be used as a PVDF membrane filler in mixed dye filtration membrane technology.