Fabrication of PAN:Cellulose Membrane for Oil/Water Separation

Abstract

In this study, we fabricated nanofiltration membranes using the electrospinning technique, employing pure PAN and a mixed matrix of PAN/HPMC. The PAN nanofibrous membranes with a concentration of 13wt% were prepared and blended with different concentrations of HPMC in the solvent N, N-Dimethylformamide (DMF). We conducted a comprehensive analysis of these membranes' surface morphology, chemical composition, wettability, and porosity and compared the results. The findings indicated that the inclusion of HPMC in the PAN membranes led to a reduction in surface porosity and fiber size. The contact angle decreased, indicating increased surface hydrophilicity, which can enhance flux and reduce fouling tendencies. Subsequently, we evaluated the efficiency of all prepared nanofiber membranes in separating emulsified oil from water using a cross-flow filtration system. It was observed that the 60:40wt% PAN/HPMC nanofiber membrane exhibited optimal performance in removing emulsion oil due to its favorable porosity and permeability, along with effective oil rejection.