Polyvinyl Chloride/Polycarbonate Blend Membranes for Oily Wastewater Treatment

ABSTRACT Ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polycarbonate (PC), then characterized using FESEM, porosity, contact angle, pure water flux (PWF) and oil separation in a cross‐flow system. Fouling behaviour was evaluated through cake filtration–pore blocking models. FESEM micrographs revealed that blending PC into PVC increased the size and number of finger‐like pores, enhancing membrane porosity. The presence of PC carbonate groups improved mechanical resistance compared to neat PVC. Incorporating 6 wt% PC produced an optimized membrane with a contact angle of 60.94°, PWF of 472.40 L·m −2 ·h −1 , oil rejection of 98.65% and antifouling performance (FR: 46.63%, IFR: 52.47%). Modelling results showed that the cake filtration–complete blockage model best fit neat PVC data, while the standard blockage model suited PVC/PC membranes. Although further long‐term and large‐scale studies are recommended, these blend membranes offer a cost‐effective, high‐performance and environmentally sustainable solution for oily wastewater treatment applications.