Impact of Modified Coal with Alkylor Mixed Alkyl-Aryl Layer on the Performanceof Heterogeneous Cellulose Acetate Membranes

Heterogeneous cellulose acetate asymmetric reverse osmosis membranes were prepared using coal particles modified with alkyl and mixed alkyl/aryl groups.Aryldiazonium salts and alkyl halides were used as sources of organic radicals that interact with the coal surface to form functional layers.Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier-Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) was employed to confirm the presence of functional layers on the coal surface, while the morphology of membranes was characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, SEM.Functionalized coal particles with alkyl and/ or aryl moieties containing different substituents (-COOH, -NO 2 , -NH 2 ) that have been used to prepare heterogeneous membranes, have shown a noticeable impact in reverse osmosis parameters: permeability and rejection, which were significantly improved in most tested membranes.