Effect of PEG molecular weight and coagulation temperature on amoxicillin separation by polysulfone nanofiltration membrane

Today, hundreds of antobiotics are produced in huge quantities for healthcare and diseases therapy. Besides to their economic value, entrance of these substances to the environment can change the organisms proceeds, leading to environmental pollution and ecosystem damages. In this study, flat sheet Polysulfone asymmetric membranes were prepared using immersion precipitation method. Raw ultrafiltration membranes were synthesized using wide range of Polyethylene glycol (PEG) molecular weights at different coagulation bath temperatures (CBTs). The membranes were modified using UV-assisted polymerization technique and their performance in the separation of amoxicillin (AMX), as the model pharmaceutical, were studied.The results showed that the membranes made with higher molecular weight of PEG were more susceptible for modification, so while they had higher flux, also showed relatively high amoxicillin retention. Moreover membranes made in higher coagulation temperatures had better separation performance. The best performance were obtained from the membrane made of high molecular weight of PEG (PEG-6000), high bath temperature (60 ° C). In this paper, a fairly comprehensive discussion of these effects on membrane structure and function was represented.