Title
Study of fouling and mass transfer properties of cellulose acetate-modified TFC membranes
Authors
ABURIDEH HANANE, ZIOUI DJAMILA, HOUT SARRA, BELGROUN ZOUBIR, YAHIAOUI FATMA ZOHRA and ABBAS MOHAMED

Received June 11, 2024
Published Volume 58 Issue 9-10 September-December
Keywords cellulose acetate (CA), TFC membrane, fouling, flux, selectivity

Abstract
The main objective of this work was to study the performance of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes developed for the treatment of saltwater. The synthesis of TFC polymer membranes was successfully achieved through interfacial polymerization between m-phenylenediamine (MPD) and trimesoyl chloride (TMC) on a 150 μm thick polyethersulfone (PES) support. The permeability and selectivity of the TFC membranes were investigated by incorporating cellulose acetate (CA) at various concentrations in an aqueous solution of MPD. The physicochemical properties of the prepared membranes were analyzed using FTIR, as well as in terms of water content and mass transfer characteristics. The optimized TFC membrane (TFC3; MPD: 2% by weight, CA: 5.7% by weight) exhibited improved efficiency in rejecting NaCl, CaCO3, and MgSO4, with respective rejection rates of 59.81%, 52.24%, and 62.53%, and a flux of 98 L/m².h. The flux recovery rate of this membrane was higher than that of the standard TFC membrane, indicating better resistance to fouling.