Incorporation of Silver-decorated Graphene Oxide into PSf Nanocomposite Membrane to be Used in MBR System

The GO-Ag nanocomposite was synthesized and incorporated as hydrophilic and antibacterial nanoparticles into the PSf membrane. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and ultraviolet (UV) analyses verified the successful synthesis of the GO-Ag nanocomposite, while the Field Emission Scanning Microscope (FESEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray (EDX) analyses revealed that Ag nanoparticles were evenly attached to Graphene Oxide (GO) nanosheets with little to no agglomeration. PSf polymeric membrane containing ۰.۱, ۰.۳, and ۰.۵ weight percent of GO-Ag nanoparticles. These nanoparticles were then characterized using a set of analyses, including FESEM, contact angle, pure water flow, abrasion resistance, tensile strength, elongation, and antibacterial test. The results showed that incorporating GO-Ag nanoparticles into PSf membranes enhanced the membranes' hydrophilicity, pure water flux, tensile strength, and abrasion resistance as the nanoparticle concentration rose in the polymeric matrix. The Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP-OES) test was performed to determine the rate of Ag release from the membrane matrix, and the findings showed that embedding silver nanoparticles onto GO nanosheets considerably decreased Ag release. In addition, the introduction of GO-Ag nanoparticles improved the antibacterial properties of nanocomposite membranes, which were then used in a lab-scale MBR alongside the plain membrane. Nanocomposite membranes were found to have better antifouling properties than a neat PSf membrane.

کلیدواژه ها:

Polysulfone ، Graphene oxide ، Silver ، membrane bioreactor