Fabrication and Performance Evaluation of the Polyamide Thin Film Composite Membrane in Desalination and Removal of Naproxen from Aqueous Solutions

The aim of this study is to remove the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug naproxen from aqueous solutions using a polyethersulfone (PES)-based thin film composite (TFC) membrane. This nanofiltration membrane was fabricated using the interfacial polymerization (IP) method and by forming an active polyamide layer on the microporous substrate surface. The morphology, roughness, and surface charge of the synthesized composite membrane were investigated using the field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and zeta potential, respectively. To evaluate the performance of the fabricated nanofiltration membrane, the rejection rate of monovalent and divalent salts of NaCl, Na2SO4, MgCl2 and MgSO4 was measured. The obtained results showed that the rejection rate of salts containing divalent sulfate anion, Na2SO4 and MgSO4, at the operating pressure of 4 bar is equal to 90.5% and 61.8%, respectively. The result of this research can create a broad perspective regarding the use of thin film composite membranes in the removal of naproxen as a hydrophobic drug from aqueous solutions.