Preparation and Characterization of Cellulose Acetate/Aminated Polysulfone Blend Ultrafiltration Membranes and their Application Studies

Ultrafiltration membranes are largely being applied for heavy metal ion separations from aqueous streams. Cellulose acetate (CA) and aminated polysulfone (APSf) based membranes are prepared in the absence and presence of the polymeric additive, polyethylene glycol, PEG 600, in various compositions. The effects of polymer blend composition and additive concentration on compaction, pure water flux, membrane hydraulic resistance, water uptake, and contact angle has been investigated to evaluate the performance of the membranes and the results are discussed. Surface and cross-sectional morphologies of membranes were also analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. Toxic heavy metal ions such as Cu2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ were separated by the blend membranes using polyethyleneimine (PEI) as polymeric ligand. The rejection and permeate flux efficiencies of the blend membranes are compared with pure cellulose acetate membranes.