Manganese Oxide Blended Polyethersulfone Ultrafiltration Membrane for Enriched Dye Removal Applications

Polyethersulfone (PES) is one of the most preferred polymers for ultrafiltration membrane synthesis, especially for industrial effluent treatment. However, pure PES membranes are susceptible to low permeate fluxes and membrane fouling due to their hydrophobic characteristics. Thus, modification of the pure PES membrane is an indispensable step to achieve blend systems with improved ultrafiltration performance and better antifouling abilities. In this current work, a series of manganese oxide (Mn₃O₄) blended polyethersulfone (base polymer) UF membranes were prepared using wet phase inversion by varying Mn₃O₄ from 0 to 4 wt%. Prepared membranes were analyzed for their morphology, thermal stability and membrane characterization. Membrane characterization results indicated that the PES/ Mn₃O₄ blend membranes possessed enhanced fluxes and better antifouling ability than the pristine PES membrane. Dye removal performances were more desirable for the composite membranes than the pristine PES membrane. A close analysis on the obtained result showed that the 2 wt% Mn₃O₄ blend PES membrane possessed desirable characteristics among the synthesized composite membrane series. Thus the manganese oxide blended polyethersulfone membranes seem to be more promising candidates for textile effluent treatment, especially for dye rejection.

Keywords: Membrane; Polyethersulfone; Manganese oxide; Ultrafiltration; Dye removal

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