Abstract
Research subject: The presence of antibiotics in drinking water sources indicates the inefficient removal of pharmaceutical compounds by conventional treatment methods, and the environmental consequences of their presence cannot be ignored. This research aims to fabricate a polyethersulfone nanofiltration membrane modified with titanium dioxide nanoparticles for the removal of amoxicillin from aqueous solutions.
Research approach: In this study, pure polyethersulfone membranes and nanoparticle-modified membranes were fabricated using the phase inversion method. First, the base polymer concentration was optimized, and the membrane pore structure was controlled to achieve maximum separation performance. Subsequently, the selected membrane was modified with different nanoparticle loadings (0.2, 0.5, and 1 wt.%). A 22% polyethersulfone membrane with 79% rejection and a pure water flux of 1.19 l.m-2.h-1 was identified as the optimal membrane, and used for further modification. The membranes were characterized using FTIR, water contact angle, SEM, AFM, and XRD, along with evaluations of pure water flux and amoxicillin separation efficiency.
Main results: FTIR analysis and contact angle measurements showed a significant increase in membrane hydrophilicity due to the presence of hydroxyl groups in the TiO2 structure. SEM images showed that nanoparticle incorporation increased membrane thickness and promoted the formation of small tear-like pores in the active layer, as well elongated pores in the substrate. These structural changes increased porosity and enhanced pure water flux from 1.19 to a maximum of 53.04 l.m-2.h-1 for the membrane containing 1wt.% nanoparticles. AFM analysis further revealed increased surface roughness with nanoparticle addition. The membrane containing 0.5 wt.% nanoparticles exhibited optimal performance, with a flux of 27.32 l.m-2.h-1 and a rejection of 85.72%. Overall, the results demonstrate that nanocomposite membranes show strong potential for the removal of non-biodegradable contaminants, such as amoxicillin, from water sources.