Preparação e caracterização de membranas poliméricas de poli(fluoreto de vinilideno) para uso em nanofiltração

Abstract

The search for increasingly efficient technologies in water and effluent treatment made the development of membranes take on an important role in separation processes. The nanofiltration is presented as a promising technology for removal of multivalent salt in aqueous solution. The polymeric membranes preparation by phase inversion technique allows the obtaining of different structures. This study evaluated the use of different nonsolvents in the poly(vinylidene fluoride) membrane preparation, by phase inversion method, on the structural characteristics and functional properties. Were used as nonsolvents: distilled water, solution of sodium dodecyl sulfate and ethanol/water, resulting in the membranes called MT1, MT2 and MT3, respectively. Use of an anionic surfactant, like as sodium dodecyl sulfate, in the preparation of poly(vinylidene fluoride) membranes is presented as a technological innovation. The use of different non-solvents changed the rate of polymer precipitation which caused changes in chemical, morphology and crystalline structures, and transport properties of the membranes. Scanning electron microscopy and liquid-liquid displacement porosimetry analysis showed asymmetric structures, with pores on the order of 1-2 nm for the MT1 and MT2 membrane, and symmetrical structure, with a high porosity for MT3 membrane. The analysis by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed the presence of α and β crystalline phases in the three membranes and in the polymer. Thermogravimetric analysis carried out in an inert atmosphere showed residual mass around 20-30% from the carbonaceous material, which was eliminated with the use of an oxidizing atmosphere in the analysis. The values of apparent crystallinity of the polymer and the membranes showed large variations, by differential scanning calorimetry technique, but when determined from the diffractograms obtained by X-ray diffraction technique, the variation was small, showed values around 47%. The evaluates of the membranes chemical surface composition by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that there was variation in the amount of C-F bonds, where different non-solvents were used. These variations contributed to changes in membranes hydrophobicity. The MT1 and MT2 membranes showed hydrophilic characteristics with contact angle around 70°, and the MT3 membrane showed hydrophobicity characteristics with contact angle around 142°. The highest hydrofobicity of the MT3 membrane is result of the surface roughness and the relative composition of CF bonds on this membrane surface. Permeation tests performed until a pressure of 20 bar, it was found that the MT2 membrane has a greater effect compression and showed a lower permeate flux. Tests conducted with solutions of sodium, calcium and ferric chloride showed different retention efficiencies. For MT1 and MT2 membranes the retention of mono and divalent salts was practically equal, around 5%. For the solution of ferric chloride, the retention showed medium values around 16% and 27% for the MT1 and MT2 membranes, respectively. Due to the pore size presented and transmembrane pressure applied on permeation tests, the MT1 and MT2 membranes may be used in nanofiltration processes.