ZnS nanoparticles as new additive for polyethersulfone membrane in humic acid filtration

In this report, well-dispersed ZnS nanoparticles were applied as inorganic additives for polyethersulfone (PES) membrane to improve anti-fouling performance. ZnS nanoparticles were synthesized by low temperature precipitation and phase inversion method was used to embed them into PES membrane for humic acid (HA) filtration. Intrinsic properties of the PES-ZnS composite membrane developed were investigated at different ZnS loadings. Compared to the control PES membrane, the PES-ZnS membrane improved hydrophilicity, porosity and thermal stability. Effect of ZnS on the flux recovery of the PES membrane fouled with HA was more pronounced than that as TiO2 was used as embedding materials. (C) 2019 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.