Purification of surface water using novel hollow fiber membranes prepared from polyetherimide/polyethersulfone blends

Membrane modules comprising of hollow fibers have undergone widespread utilization for water purification as they occupy less space, involve low operating cost and generate minimum quantity of reject. In this work, hollow fiber membrane modules comprising of polyethersulfone/polyetherimide blends were prepared via phase inversion method and tested in a laboratory membrane unit for surface water reclamation. Membrane microstructure, pore morphology and pore diameter were studied by means of SEM and Liquid-liquid porosimetry. Performance parameters, especially water flux and rejection efficiency of BSA protein, were determined. Effect of trans-membrane pressure, extent of fiber packing and impurity rejection was investigated at 3 bar pressure, which revealed high turbidity rejection of 99.65%, considerable permeability of 152.5 L/m(2)h, 90.3% N-2 removal and 95.3% phosphorus rejection for surface water feed. A mathematical correlation was derived for understanding hydrodynamics taking place within the hollow fibers based on velocity and composition profile. Regression analysis showed the simulation data to agree well with experimental observations indicating significance of CFD as a potential tool in designing commercial membrane systems. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.