Preparation of polyacrylonitrile ultrafiltration membranes for wastewater treatment

The preparation conditions of a polyacrylonitrile (PAN) ultrafiltration membrane for wastewater treatment was investigated. The PAN membranes were prepared by the phase-inversion process in a water gelation bath using casting solutions of varying compositions of PAN/polyvinylpyrolidone (PVP)/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) and showed a molecular weight cut-off of 50,000–500,000. Especially, the membrane prepared from casting solutions with PVP and annealed at 80°C in water showed high water flux with a molecular weight cut-off of 500,000. Furthermore, the composite membranes of PAN-acrylic acid, prepared by the photo-induced graft polymerization technique, improved high performance.

The preparation of PAN membrane was investigated by the phase inversion process. The membrane prepared from casting solutions with PVP and annealed at 80°C in water showed the high water flux with molecular weight cut-off of 500,000. Furthermore, the composite membranes of PAN-acrylic acid, prepared by the photoinduced graft polymerization technique, improved high performance.