Characterization of Cellulose Acetate Membrane at Different Thicknesses on Sucrose Concentration by Forward Osmosis

Aida I. Mohamad Idris; Siti M. Mustapa Kamal; Alifdalino  Sulaiman; Rozita Omar; Munira Mohammad

Aida I. Mohamad Idris Centre for Water Research, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Information Technology, SEGi University, 47810 Kota Damansara, Malaysia
Siti M. Mustapa Kamal Department of Process and Food Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
Alifdalino Sulaiman Department of Process and Food Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
Rozita Omar Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor 43400, Malaysia
Munira Mohammad Centre for Water Research, Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment & Information Technology, SEGi University, 47810 Kota Damansara, Malaysia

Keywords: Cellulose Acetate, Contact Angle, Forward Osmosis Membrane, Membrane Porosity, Membrane Thickness

Abstract

Forward osmosis (FO) requires a specific membrane structure for applications like juice concentration. The phase inversion method was used to make cellulose acetate (CA) FO membranes. The solvents used were acetone and 1,4-dioxane. Additives included polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), methanol, and maleic acid were used in the preparation of CA membrane, which make it easier to improve a FO membrane's permeability. The performance of fabricated FO membrane and their morphology were evaluaed with different casting thicknesses of 150, 200, and 250 µm. Experiment works begins with an hour of membrane flux testing, deionized water was used as feed solution and 1 M NaCl as draw solution. The membrane was then used to concentrate 0.5 M sucrose with NaCl for 240 minutes (2 M). Contact angle, porosity, and scanning electron miscroscopy (SEM) were used to characterize membrane properties and morphology. High water flux (2.25 L/m²hr) and high porosity (75.86%) were found at 200 µm casting thickness. Water permeability of sucrose concentration at 200 µm casting thickness had the highest flux (2.39 L/m²hr). The results also show that flux values vary with membrane thickness. All membranes were hydrophilic with contact angles below 90°. A 200 µm casting thickness produces a membrane with smooth and evenly distributed pores, according to morphology analysis. Structural parameter (S) values had a proportional relationship with the FO membrane thickness, which thinner membrane potentially reduces the internal concentration polarization (ICP).

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