MN Subramaniam, PS Goh, WJ Lau, BC Ng, AF Ismail
This study explores the potential of novel hybrid polyvinylidene fluoride/titanate nanotube (PVDF-TNT) photocatalytic membranes for the colour removal of aerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AT-POME) in a submerged membrane photo reactor (SMPR). Different loadings (0–1.0 wt%) of TNT photocatalysts were physically mixed into PVDF dope solution prior to the membrane fabrication through dry/wet phase inversion process. The membranes modules were subsequently fitted into a 15 L SMPR tank, with a UV light source placed at the center of the SMPR. The performance analysis indicated that PVDF-TNT0.5 showed the best colour removal of 67.3%. The synergistic effects rendered by both membrane filtration and photocatalysis have remarkably improved the colour removal efficiency compared to filtration alone that barely exhibited colour removal of 34.2%. The operating conditions of the SMPR, such as …
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1383586617321184