Abstract: The aim of this research is to fabricate thin-film composite (TFC) membranes using a
synthetic derivative of plant-based phenols, as a non-toxic building block for interfacial
polymerization. Classical interfacially polymerized composite membranes are heavily
integrated in reverse osmosis and nanofiltration applications for water and wastewater
treatment and most recently for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Implementing
sustainable practices in membrane fabrication by exploiting greener alternatives to
conventional chemicals can directly reduce hazardous waste and ultimately lower the
global energy and environmental burdens. In this study, allyl gallate was chosen as a
monomer to form selective thin films by the interfacial reaction with trimesoyl chloride on
top of an asymmetrically porous polyacrylonitrile support. The advantage of the unreacted
allyl groups is that they can be in the future used as post-functionalization sites. The highly
volatile organic phase solvents were additionally replaced by an isoparaffinic fluid,
commercially known as Isopar G. The chemical composition and morphology of the
membrane was evaluated using solid-state 13C NMR, FTIR, and SEM. The optimized
membrane resulted in a permeance of 12±2 and 48±14 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 for respectively pure
water and methanol with a rejection in the nanofiltration range.
Date of Award | Jul 2020 |
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Original language | English (US) |
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Awarding Institution | - Physical Sciences and Engineering
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Supervisor | Suzana Nunes (Supervisor) |
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- Membrane
- Interfacial Polymerization
- Green Chemistry
- Biophenol
- Post Synthesis