Effectiveness of a coagulation step and polyester support on blend polyvinylchloride membrane formation and performance

The effectiveness of woven and nonwoven polyester support and coagulation time during membrane formation on the performance and characterization of prepared membranes was studied. The blend membranes of polyvinylchloride with cellulose acetate were prepared by the immersion precipitation process. The prepared membranes were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry and a mechanical test. Membrane performance was tested using a feed of different synthetic salt solutions. The results proved that the prepared membrane using woven support provided the highest permeate flux and good salt rejection (93.3%) for a salty solution concentration of 20,000 ppm. The stress-strain mechanical test indicated that the excellent mechanical behavior was shown for membranes prepared with a woven support, which has a strength of 12.6 N/cm2 with an elongation of 25 mm for M8. A fouling test was carried out using a mixture solution of salt and humic acid. Using the prepared membranes with woven support provided the best antifouling properties with a flux recovery of 99.2% compared with a flux recovery of 96% using the prepared membrane without support.