چكيده لاتين
Water, as a vital resource, faces significant challenges in quality and accessibility due to population growth, industrialization, and agricultural development. In recent decades, membrane technologies have gained a prominent role in water treatment and desalination owing to their high efficiency, ease of use, and low energy consumption. These technologies include microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO), and are classified based on pore size and driving force. Among them, MF and UF membranes are widely used in water purification and biotechnological industries due to their ability to remove suspended particles, bacteria, and macromolecules.
Membranes can be fabricated using various methods such as electrospinning, stretching, track-etching, and phase inversion. Among these, phase inversion is the most commonly employed due to its simplicity, structural controllability, and capability to produce porous membranes with desirable performance. In this study, porous polymeric membranes based on cellulose acetate were prepared using the phase inversion method. The use of nanoparticles as sacrificial templates allows the design of membranes with precisely controlled pores; targeted removal of these nanoparticles enables adjustable pore size and distribution, enhancing membrane filtration performance.
Calcium carbonate nanoparticles were used as the sacrificial template. Spherical nanoparticles were synthesized and incorporated into the polymeric matrix. Subsequently, the nanoparticles were removed through acid etching, forming pores with controlled distribution within the membrane structure. The polymer solution, consisting of cellulose acetate and acetone, was prepared, followed by the addition of nanoparticles and glycerol, and then cast into membrane films. Characterizations of the nanoparticles and membranes were carried out using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray Diffraction sprectroscopy (XRD), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Mechanical strength tests, permeation flux measurements, oil-in-water emulsion separation, and porosity analysis were conducted to evaluate membrane performance. The results demonstrated that the presence and controlled removal of calcium carbonate nanoparticles enhanced considerably the membrane porosity and filtration efficiency, highlighting their potential for water treatment applications.
