Optimizing influential phase separation parameters on polyethersulfone/ Fe3O4/ZnO membranes for environmental wastewater

Membrane fabrication via phase inversion depends on various influential parameters which may result in enhanced membrane performance. In this study, metal oxide nanoparticles i.e. FeO/ZnO were modified with glycine and diethylene glycol and then embedded onto polyethersulfone (PES) membranes to form PES/FeO/ZnO membranes. These membranes were used to remove manganese, copper, and lead ions from wastewater. Transmission electron microscope images confirmed that FeO/ZnO were composed of cubic and spherical morphologies. Fourier Transform Infrared spectra confirmed that FeO/ZnO nanoparticles were successfully modified using glycine and diethylene glycol. The surface and cross-sectional images showed that polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and the coagulation bath temperature influenced the resulting membrane surface and confirmed the successful addition of nanocomposite concentrations (0.25, 0.50 and 0.75 wt%) onto PES membranes. The 0.50 wt% FeO/ZnO loaded membrane showed highest permeability with water flux of 682 L/m.h, and high flux recovery ratio (%) of 98.75 %, 88.88 % and 71.77 % for BSA, HA and wastewater samples, respectively, indicative of less prone to fouling. The chemical and mechanical enhancement through PVP concentration, coagulation bath temperature and nanoparticle loading significantly influenced the selectivity and fouling propensity of the PES membranes. Therefore, all parameters played a role in tuning the chemical and physical structure of the prepared membranes.