DOI: 10.1116/1.582308. Identification of surface chemical functional groups correlated to failure of reverse osmosis polymeric membranes

Identification of surface chemical functional groups correlated to failure of reverse osmosis polymeric membranes

10.1116/1.582308

Crossref journal-article

American Vacuum Society

Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films (20)

Abstract

The goal of this study is to identify the causes of membrane failure observed during a 15-month operation of a low pressure reverse osmosis (RO) membrane pilot plant to treat a highly organic surface water from the Hillsborough River in Tampa, Florida, using various surface analytical techniques. Three different commercial RO membranes, made of cellulose acetate or polyamide, were used in this pilot study, and all of these membranes showed performance deterioration presumably due to membrane fouling and degradation at given experimental conditions. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of membrane failure, scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM/EDS), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were performed on the surface of the polymeric RO membranes used. More specifically, molecular composition including surface functional groups were identified from XPS analysis, confirmed by FTIR, and correlated to membrane failure. In addition, surface morphology and fouling layer composition were determined by SEM/EDS. The results indicated that the cellulose acetate membrane was biologically damaged, while the polyamide membrane was compromised by chlorine oxidation. The biodegradation of cellulose acetate was evidenced by the presence of nitrogen on XPS and FTIR scans. Chlorine uptake shown in XPS and FTIR scans of used polyamide membranes was a good indicator of chemical degradation. This study demonstrated that XPS, combined with FTIR and SEM/EDS, is a valuable diagnostic tool for failure analysis of polymeric RO membranes and provides valuable information to aid the manufacturers in designing better membranes for reverse osmosis.

Bibliography

Beverly, S., Seal, S., & Hong, S. (2000). Identification of surface chemical functional groups correlated to failure of reverse osmosis polymeric membranes. Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films, 18(4), 1107â1113.

Authors 3

Sharon Beverly (first)
Sudipta Seal (additional)
Seungkwan Hong (additional)

References 30 Referenced 49

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Dates

Type	When
Created	23 years, 1 month ago (July 27, 2002, 5:07 a.m.)
Deposited	2 years, 1 month ago (July 25, 2023, 5:34 p.m.)
Indexed	4 months, 3 weeks ago (April 16, 2025, 12:13 a.m.)
Issued	25 years, 2 months ago (July 1, 2000)
Published	25 years, 2 months ago (July 1, 2000)
Published Print	25 years, 2 months ago (July 1, 2000)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Beverly_2000, title={Identification of surface chemical functional groups correlated to failure of reverse osmosis polymeric membranes}, volume={18}, ISSN={1520-8559}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1116/1.582308}, DOI={10.1116/1.582308}, number={4}, journal={Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A: Vacuum, Surfaces, and Films}, publisher={American Vacuum Society}, author={Beverly, Sharon and Seal, Sudipta and Hong, Seungkwan}, year={2000}, month=jul, pages={1107–1113} }

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