Improving antifouling performance for the harvesting of Scenedesmus acuminatus using Fe2O3 nanoparticles incorporated PVC nanocomposite membranes

Membrane filtration provided a potential solution to get high quality microalgae biomass and recyclable medium. However, the fouling of membrane by microalgae cells and organic matter greatly affects membrane harvesting efficiency. In this study, membrane performance was tested in terms of flux declining and backwashing recovery for microalgal harvesting. Compared with the unmodified poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) membrane, the membrane with 1.0% Fe2O3 incorporation had a 66% increase in average flux, reaching 138 L m(-) h(-1). Foulants on the membrane surface were characterized using attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), as well as sodium hydroxide extraction followed by total organic carbon (TOC) quantification and fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (FEEM) identification of organic components. FEEM and TOC analysis of the extracted foulants revealed that the surface of 1.0% Fe2O3 incorporated membrane had less fouling than the unmodified PVC membrane, which may be attributed to its hydrophilicity after Fe2O3 incorporation. CLSM analysis and ATR-FTIR analysis of the fouled membrane surface further revealed that the protein substance on the 1.0% Fe2O3 incorporated PVC membrane was lower than those in the unmodified membrane, which further confirmed the enhanced antifouling performance of the 1.0% Fe2O3 incorporated PVC membrane. (c) 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47685.