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The Membrane Society of Korea (한국막학회)
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Carbon Nanosphere Composite Ultrafiltration Membranes with Anti-Biofouling Properties and More Porous Structures for Wastewater Treatment Using MBRs

분리막 생물반응기를 활용한 폐수처리를 위한 생물오염방지 특성 및 다공성 구조를 가진 탄소나노구체 복합 한외여과막

  • Jaewoo Lee (Department of Polymer-Nano Science and Technology, Jeonbuk National University)
  • 이재우 (전북대학교 고분자나노공학과)
  • Received : 2023.12.10
  • Accepted : 2023.12.21
  • Published : 2024.02.29
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Abstract

Wastewater treatment using membrane bioreactors has been extensively used to alleviate water shortage and pollution by improving the quality of the treated water discharged into the environment. However, membrane biofouling persistently holds back an MBR process by reducing the process efficiency. Herein, we synthesized carbon nanospheres (CNSs) with many hydrophilic oxygen groups and utilized them as an additive to prepare high-performance ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with hydrophilicity and porous pore structure. CNSs were found to form crescent-shaped pores on the membrane surface, increasing the mean surface pore size by about 40% without causing significant defects larger than bubble points, as the CNS content increased by 4.6 wt%. In addition, the porous pore structure of CNS composite membranes was also attributable to the CNS's isotropic morphologies and relatively low particle number density because the aforementioned properties contributed to preventing the polymer solution viscosity from soaring with the loading of CNS. However, too porous structure compromised the mechanical properties, such that CNS2.3 was the best from a comprehensive consideration including the pore structure and mechanical properties. As a result, CNS2.3 showed not only 2 times higher water permeability than CNS0 but also 5 times longer operation duration until membrane cleaning was required.

본 연구에서는 분리막 생물반응기(membrane bioreactor, MBR)에서 발생되는 생물막오염 완화에 탁월한 효과를 가진 분리막을 개발할 목적으로, 친수성 산소 기능기가 많은 탄소나노구체(carbon nanosphere, CNS)를 합성한 뒤, 이를 첨가제로 활용하여 친수성과 다공성 기공 구조를 갖는 고성능 한외여과막을 제조하였다. CNS는 막 표면에 초승달 모양의 기공을 형성하였고, CNS 함량을 4.6 wt%까지 증가시킴에 따라 최대기공 크기보다 큰 결함을 야기하지 않으면서 평균 표면 기공 크기를 약 40% 증가시키는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, CNS 복합막의 다공성 기공 구조는 CNS의 등방성 형태와 상대적으로 낮은 입자 수밀도 덕분에 CNS 첨가에 따른 고분자 용액의 점도 급등이 방지됐기 때문이라고 판단된다. 그러나 너무 다공성이 커지게 되면 기계적 물성이 저하되므로, 기공구조와 기계적 성질을 포함한 종합적인 고려를 했을 때 CNS2.3이 가장 우수하다고 관측되었다. CNS2.3은 CNS0에 비해 수투과도가 2배 이상 높을 뿐만 아니라, MBR 공정에서 분리막 세정이 요구될 때까지의 운전 시간도 5배 이상 연장시킨 것으로 확인되었다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (grant number: 2021R1I1A3044565). This work was also supported by the Commercialization Promotion Agency for R&D Outcomes (COMPA) grant funded by the Korean Government (Ministry of Science and ICT) (RS-2023-00304743).

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