Antifouling CuO/PES Ultrafiltration Membranefor Brackish Water Treatment: Removal of Iron and Manganese

Ramadan, Rania; Shalaby, Marwa Saied; El Rafie, Shadia Hanem Abdel Latif; Ebrahiem, Ebrahiem Esmail; Mansour, Moustapha Salem

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2025.382335.11743

Antifouling CuO/PES Ultrafiltration Membranefor Brackish Water Treatment: Removal of Iron and Manganese

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Chemical Engineering and Pilot Plant Department, Engineering and Renewable Energy Research Institute, National Research Centre

² Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, El-Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt

³ Chemical engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21544, Egypt

10.21608/ejchem.2025.382335.11743

Abstract

This work focuses on the development of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes using polyethersulfone (PES) modified with copper oxide (CuO) nanoparticles and chitosan for the removal of iron and manganese from brackish water. As pretreatment is crucial in improving the efficiency and reducing the cost of reverse osmosis (RO) desalination systems, a series of PES-based membranes were fabricated via the phase inversion method. CuO nanoparticles were synthesized through a simple chemical precipitation method and incorporated into the membrane matrix at varying concentrations (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% w/w). Chitosan was also added to enhance membrane performance, and dispersion was improved using Tween 20. The influence of the chitosan–CuO nanocomposite on PES membrane properties was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to observe surface morphology, and contact angle measurements to assess changes in hydrophilicity. Other performance indicators such as porosity and pure water flux were also measured. Among the fabricated membranes, the one containing 0.5% CuO (designated as M3) demonstrated superior antifouling performance, achieving an iron removal efficiency of 82% at a flux of approximately 33–35 L/m²•h, and a manganese removal efficiency of 42% at a flux ranging between 30–40 L/m²•h.Despite not having the highest water flux, M3 exhibited the best fouling resistance characteristics, with a flux recovery ratio (FRR) of 83.77%, total fouling ratio (Rt) of 43.91%, reversible fouling (Rr) of 27.68%, and irreversible fouling (Rir) of only 16.23%.These findings confirm M3's potential as a low fouling, high efficiency membrane for pretreatment in desalination applications.

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