Developing the polyacrylonitrile/polysulfone blended polymer membranes by a non-ionic surfactant for efficient oily water separation

The polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/polysulfone (PSF) blended polymer membranes were modified by decaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C12EO10) as a non-ionic surfactant. Polymeric solutions containing 17 wt.% of both PAN and PSF with different ratios of 9:1 ,8:2, 7:3, 2:1, 1:2, and 1:1, different mass concentrations of C12EO10 (3 wt.% and 6 wt.%), polyethylene glycol (3 wt.% and 6 wt.%), and silica (0.5 wt.%, 0.75 wt.%, and 1 wt.%) were prepared. Adding 6 wt.% C12EO10 to the casting solution formed a membrane with distinguished hydrophilicity and fouling resistance, higher porosity, appreciable permeate flux (77.1 L/m2.h), and distinct vacuum gas oil rejection (92%) in comparison with the blended PAN/PSF ultrafiltration membrane. Silica nanoparticles prepared from rice husk ash with C12EO10 produced an excellent permeate flux of 112 L/m2.h and gas oil rejection of 95%. The PAN/PSF membrane developed by 6 wt.% of C12EO10 and 0.5 wt.% RHA-SiO2 NPs exhibited improved antifouling properties with FRR% of 96.05% and good separation performance until four cycles of filtration.