Composite Membranes on a Micro-Mesh Support for Ultrafiltration of Oil-in-Water Emulsions

This study investigated the physicochemical characteristics and treatment methods for finely dispersed oil-containing wastewater with a dispersed phase particle size of less than 100 nm. For this purpose, both novel composite membranes developed by the authors and commercially available analogs were used. The novelty of the work lies in the development of a method for producing composite membranes comprising a micro-mesh support and a surface layer of cellulose acetate. The developed ultrafiltration membranes consisted of a micro-mesh coated with a layer of cellulose acetate. Nylon was chosen as the base material for the micro-mesh due to its strength and chemical resistance. The pore size of the developed ultrafiltration membranes ranged from 0.05 to 0.1 μm, which allowed for effective separation of oil particles sized 82–86 nm present in the emulsions. Compared to the commercial UPM-100 membrane, the developed membranes demonstrated higher performance and fouling resistance.