SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION

OF ANTIFOULING ULTRAFILTRATION
MEMBRANES
 WHAT IS ULTRFILTRATION
• It is membrane filtration where pressure or
concentration gradients lead to separation
through semi-permeable membranes.
• Suspended solids and solutes of high
molecular weight are retained in the
retentate, while water and low molecular
weights pass through semi-permeable
membrane.
 Materials used for ultrafiltration
membranes
• Polysulfone
• Polyethersulfone
• Polyvinylidene fluoride
• Polyacrylonitrile
• Cellulose acetate
• Cellulose triacetate
• Polyimide
• polyamide
 Problems with membranes
• Most prominent problem in actual application
is higher cost and less selective
• Important reason for higher cost is because of
decline of permeate flux and shortened life
expectancy caused by membrane fouling.
• Most materials used for synthesis of
membranes are less hydrophillic in nature
which results in fouling of membranes
• To overcome this problem surface
modification is done which results in higher
hydrophillicity.

• The surface modifications methods include

plasma modification, surfactant modification
and surface coating modification
 Literature review
• It has been found that highly hydrophilic
membrane surfaces can attract a strongly
water bound layer which is effective to reduce
membrane fouling
• Various hydrophilic materials have been used
to increase hydrophilicity of ultrafiltration
membranes