It is a proven concept that hydrophilized polymer membrane surfaces are less susceptible to fouling compared to hydrophobic surfaces. Grafting hydrophilic polymers onto hydrophobic support membranes is one of the few simple but robust ways of modifying the membrane surfaces. During the past decade a number of groups have investigated the fouling of natural organic matter and protein and succeeded very well. However biofouling prevention is still a challenging but a required research as the degree of fouling and consequent flux decline over time increases exponentially Several weak, strong and neutral monomers have the potential towards fouling control. In our present study we are modifying the microfiltration membranes using a weak monomer, acrylic acid (AA) and a strong sulfonic acid monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) for graft-copolymerization using UV light as the initiator. These monomers enhance the hydrophilicity and reduce fouling potential. We will be presenting data on water flux, E. coli solution flux and the characteristics of the membrane before modification. We are also investigating the incorporation of antibacterial agents onto the membranes during the surface modification in order to prevent fouling of the bacterial cells on the membrane surface and compare the results with membranes modified with AA and AMPS.
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