Preparação e caracterização de membranas compósitas polisulfona/material celulósico como barreira seletiva

Abstract

This work investigated the preparation and obtaining of nanocrystalline cellulose (cellulose whiskers or cellulose nanocrystals) for use in polysulfone composite membranes prepared by phase inversion method. Preparation of cellulose whiskers was held by acid hydrolysis, with hydrochloric acid, of microcrystalline cellulose and the characterization was performed by transmission electron microscopy. Microcrystalline cellulose was obtained from acid hydrolysis of cellulose fibers which in case of this study were obtained from different natural sources (eucalyptus and Pinus taeda). The fibers of both natural sources, obtained from kraft industrial process, were previously chemically evaluated in order to evaluate the efficiency of this process in the removal of other characteristic components of lignocellulosic materials such as lignin and hemicellulose. More later fibers and microcellulose obtained were characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Characterization analysis showed the efficiency of the kraft process, where the lignin and hemicelluloses could be ignored, and obtained microcrystalline cellulose from both sources, as evidenced by the significant increase in crystallinity index. Due to problems with the characterization of cellulose whiskers, polysulfone membranes were only reinforced with cellulose fibers and microcrystalline cellulose. Membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, flow tests and protein retention. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis indicated good homogeneity of fibers and microcellulose in the membranes by appearance of a characteristic peak of cellulose on composite membrane spectrum. In scanning electron microscopy analysis different morphologies can be observed, specially with the presence of macrovoids and finger-like structures. These morphologies are associated with different conditions of membranes preparation, where different evaporation times before phase inversion bath caused the different structures formation on membranes. Another factor that may have influenced different morphologies of the membranes is the addition of reinforcement fillers, where fiber and microcellulose contributed differently to the membranes performance and morphology. The evaluation of the influence of cellulose fibers and microcellulose on different morphological structures of membranes was evaluated by flow and egg albumin retention. The results showed the excellent property of microcellulose as reinforcement material, where the protein retention of the polysulfone/microcellulose membrane was higher than 90%. The evaporation time may have helped in this retention value, whereas a longer evaporation decreased the presence of finger-like structures in composite membranes. Due to high protein retention and transmembrane pressure applied in the permeation tests (up to 20 bar), the membranes with microcrystalline cellulose can be applied in ultrafiltration process.