Performance evaluation of modified fabricated cotton membrane for oil/water separation and heavy metal ions removal

摘要

Preparation of effective membrane with special surface treatment for oil/water separation having promising future and low manufacturing cost. The suggested membrane was fabricated by a simple treatment via increasing the hydrophilicity of the cotton fabric surface. The cotton fabric was impregnated in poly(acrylic acid-co-N-methylol acrylamide), poly(AA-co-NMA), where NMA acts as bonding agent. Sodium hypophosphite (SHP) was added to the modification solution to enhance the bonding between the cotton fabric and the PAA. The modified fabric was thermally dried and cured at different temperatures. It was found that, the presence of 3.5% NMA and addition of 5% SHP to the modification solution then curing at 190 degrees C gave the highest amount of bonded PAA to the cotton fabric. The success of the modification process was confirmed by scanning electron microscope, Fourier transformer infrared and the increase in the contact angle of the cotton fabric after modification. Furthermore, the prepared membrane was evaluated for oil (n-hexane, toluene, and petroleum ether)/water separation and also for heavy metal ions removal (Cd2+ and Co2+). Neutralization of the produced membrane with ammonium hydroxide resulting in a higher contact angle and consequently higher separation efficiency for oil/water mixtures and higher performance for heavy metal ions removal compared to the unneutralized one.