Preparation of Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate) Track-Etched Membranes for the Separation of Water-Oil Emulsions

Abstract

Rapid industrial growth in the petrochemical, pharmaceutical, metallurgical and food industries, as well as stormwater that accumulates pollution from the roadway and the territories of motor transport enterprises, gas stations, car washes and other municipal services have led to the formation of a large amount of oily wastewater. Oil-containing wastewater is a multicomponent, multiphase water system and, as a rule, is in a state stabilized by various factors, which greatly complicates their processing. Pollution of water sources with oil-containing compounds leads to negative consequences for both living organisms and human health. Therefore, the need to treat oily wastewater is an urgent problem. In this article, poly(ethylene terephthalate) track-etched membranes (PET TeMs) with pore diameters of ~ 5.1 µm and pore density of 1∙106 pore/cm² were modified by formation of polyelectrolyte complexes of PET TeMs surface with poly(allylamine) (PAAm) and tested for oil-water separation by using hexadecane/water (at pH=2) and chloroform/water (at pH=2) emulsions. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, contact angle measurements were used for membrane characterization. The efficiency of oil-water separation was evaluated by flux measurements. Results showed separation performance of 267 mL/m²·s for hexadecane/water (pH=2) and 100 mL/m²·s for chloroform/water (pH=2) at vacuum pressure of 700 mbar.