Investigation of TiO2 Concentration and Calcination Temperature Effects on Hybrid Membrane Properties for Wastewater Treatment

In recent years, hybrid membranes have been developed to address the need for membranes with excellent chemical and thermal resistance. In this study, we present the preparation of a hybrid flat membrane using a dip-coating process with clay and titanium dioxide (TiO2). We investigated two parameters: TiO2 concentration and calcination temperature. We also evaluated the performance of the resulting membranes in treating colored wastewater. Our results show that increasing TiO2 concentration from 1 to 21 g/L enhances the hydrophilicity of the membrane, as evidenced by a decrease in contact angle. The mass of TiO2 fixed on the membrane surface also increases, leading to a similar contact angle for 11 and 21 g/L. Notably, TiO2 nanoparticles were adsorbed onto the membrane pores resulting in reduced membrane porosity. The average permeate fluxes decreased with increasing TiO2 concentration. We also observed a decline in methylene blue degradation rate with the increase of TiO2 concentration from 11 to 21 g/L. The maximum methylene blue degradation rate was achieved with a membrane coated with 11 g/L of TiO2. Moreover, we studied the effect of calcination temperature on membrane properties. Interestingly, increasing the calcination temperature from 300°C to 600°C did not significantly alter the contact angle. The highest methylene blue degradation rate (86.04%) was achieved with 11 g/L TiO2 at a calcination temperature of 300 °C. The prepared flat membranes demonstrated promising performance in treating colored wastewater, highlighting their potential for efficient wastewater treatment applications.