Enhanced-performance Membrane-Based Water Treatment Systems

Membrane systems have gained considerable attention for their ability to produce high quality water. Nevertheless, membrane fouling is the major cause of deterioration in performance of these treatment systems. Surface modification is an attractive option for controlling organic and biological fouling of membranes. Making the membrane hydrophilic and bactericidal can lead to low retention of organic matter and lower biological growth, which in turn culminates in increasing the longevity of membrane performance. In this study, we present our findings on ultrafiltration polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes, which were modified by poly(aniline-co-3-aminobenzoic acid) (3ABAPANI) through ex-situ modification processes. FTIR and SEM analysis results confirmed the modification of membrane with 3ABAPANI. The results showed that coating the membrane with 3ABAPANI increased the contact angle from 60o to 83o, which corresponds to a decrease in membrane hydrophilicity. The good bactericidal activity of 3ABAPANI against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria plays a crucial role in antifouling process. These characterisation data will be presented at the conference to illustrate the potential for improving the performance of membrane treatment processes.