Determination of Fouling Mechanisms in PVC/TiO2 Ultrafiltration Membranes

Application of membrane based processes in water treatment has been limited due to the fouling phenomenon. Therefore, understanding the membrane fouling mechanisms is an important issue in membrane technology. In this study, fouling mechanisms of PVC/TiO2 composite membranes were analyzed. The membranes were prepared via non-solvent induced phase separation method and the content of TiO2 nanoparticles in the membranes varied between 0 to 2.0 wt.%. Prepared membranes were used in ultrafiltration process of 1.0 wt.% BSA solution. The flux-time behavior of membranes was studied during 240 min. In order to study fouling mechanisms, classic and combined models were used and the results showed that none of the classic models were capable of fitting the experimental data for fabricated membranes, however the fouling behavior of membranes was well-fitted using combined fouling models

Keywords:

TiO2 , Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) , non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) , Membrane