Investigation of TiO2 Concentration and Calcination Temperature Effects on Hybrid Membrane Properties for Wastewater Treatment

نویسندگان

1 Laboratory of Energy, Water, Environment, and Process, LR18ES35, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, TUNISIA

2 Laboratory of Energy, Water, Environment, and Process, LR18ES35, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, TUNISIA

3 Laboratory of Energy, Water, Environment, and Process, LR18ES35, National Engineering School of Gabes, University of Gabes, Gabes, TUNISIA

doi
10.30492/ijcce.2023.2000347.5976
چکیده

In recent years, hybrid membranes have been developed to address the need for membranes with excellent chemical and thermal resistance. In this study, we present the preparation of a hybrid flat membrane using a dip-coating process with clay and titanium dioxide (TiO2). We investigated two parameters: TiO2 concentration and calcination temperature. We also evaluated the performance of the resulting membranes in treating colored wastewater. Our results show that increasing TiO2 concentration from 1 to 21 g/L enhances the hydrophilicity of the membrane, as evidenced by a decrease in contact angle. The mass of TiO2 fixed on the membrane surface also increases, leading to a similar contact angle for 11 and 21 g/L. Notably, TiO2 nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the membrane pores resulting in reduced membrane porosity. The average permeate fluxes decreased with increasing TiO2 concentration. We also observed a decline in methylene blue degradation rate with the increase of TiO2 concentration from 11 to 21 g/L. The maximum methylene blue degradation rate was achieved with a membrane coated with 11 g/L of TiO2. Moreover, we studied the effect of calcination temperature on membrane properties. Interestingly, increasing the calcination temperature from 300°C to 600°C did not significantly alter the contact angle. The highest methylene blue degradation rate (86.04%) was achieved with 11 g/L TiO2 at a calcination temperature of 300 °C. The prepared flat membranes demonstrated promising performance in treating colored wastewater, highlighting their potential for efficient wastewater treatment applications.