Preparation and performance of PVDF-based nanocomposite membrane consisting of TiO2 nanofibers for organic pollutant decomposition in wastewater under UV irradiation

• Main Authors: Nor, N. A. M., Jaafar, J., Ismail, A. F., Mohamed, M. A., Rahman, M. A., Othman, M. H. D., Lau, W. J., Yusof, N.
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier B.V. 2016
• Subjects: TP Chemical technology
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/72234/; https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84964870195&doi=10.1016%2fj.desal.2016.01.015&partnerID=40&md5=26872006fd80149f5208adc484ecc5da

Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) nanocomposite membrane consisting of electrospun titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanofibers (PVDF/e-TiO2) was prepared by hot pressing the as-spun TiO2 nanofibers onto PVDF flat sheet membrane. The TiO2 nanofibers act as a photocatalyst to decompose organic pollutants present in wastewater under UV irradiation, while PVDF membrane acts as a support. The hot press technique was carried out by applying the operating temperatures at 100 °C, 160 °C and 180 °C for 30 min. The nanocomposite membrane was characterized by FESEM, EDX, contact angle measurement, DSC, and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy. The FESEM images and EDX analysis showed good adhesion and dispersion of TiO2 nanofibers in PVDF membrane. The hot-pressed PVDF/e-TiO2 membrane at lower temperature (100 °C) (PVDF/e-TiO2-100) is more hydrophilic, higher pure water flux and has higher UV absorbance compared to the PVDF/e-TiO2-160 and PVDF/e-TiO2-180 membranes. The concentration of bisphenol A (BPA) in the feed solution was found to reduce with the degradation percentage of 63% to 85% after the PVDF/e-TiO2 nanocomposite membrane was treated with UV radiation. The results indicated that the introduction of TiO2 nanofibers in PVDF-based nanocomposite membrane via hot pressing indeed plays an important role towards enhancing the degradation and filtration of organic pollutants such as BPA.