The efect of Merpol surfactant on the morphology and performance of PES/PVP membranes: antibiotic separation

The present study used modifed nanofltration (NF) membranes to remove the emerging contaminant of amoxicillin (AMX) from synthetic wastewater. For this purpose, Merpol surfactant and polyvinylpyrrolidone were added to the casting solutions to prepare fat sheet asymmetric polyethersulfone (PES) NF membranes through phase inversion process. Then, the efect of adding Merpol surfactant at diferent concentrations on the morphology, hydrophilicity, and pure water fux (PWF) of the membranes, as well as the separation of AMX from aqueous solutions was investigated. The characteristics of the prepared membranes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), feld emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), contact angle (CA) measurement and performance tests. The obtained results approved the improved hydrophilicity of the PES membranes after adding Merpol surfactant to the casting solution. The fndings also revealed a gradual increase in the average size of the membrane pores in sub-layer and thinner top layer, proportional to the increase of surfactant content in the solution. The results also confrmed the increase of PWF under the infuence of surfactant increase. As a result, for the membrane containing 8 wt% Merpol additive, the lowest CA (52.08°), the highest PWF (76.31 L/m2 h), and maximum AMX excretion (97%) were achieved.