Evaluation of catalyst doped polymeric membrane synthesis and use in terms of energy efficiency

The continuity of life on earth is possible with the existence of consumable water. However, due to the rapid increment in population and climate change, water scarcity is moving towards an inevitable point. For this reason, the treatment and recycling of domestic and industrial wastewater is gaining importance day by day. One of the most efficient methods in water treatment is membrane technologies. The number of studies using nanoscience in membrane technologies to increase membrane efficiency is increasing every day. Depending on the content of the wastewater, accumulation and clogging problems occur on the surface of the membranes, and therefore, the filtration flux decreases. In order to reach desired flux value designed for the process again, the pressure needs to be increased and accordingly the energy requirement is revealed. That is why studies on using membranes with nanomaterials to reduce pollution have gained momentum in recent years. In this thesis, rutheniumdioxide (RuO2) nanoparticle doped polymeric membranes were prepared and its contribution to energy efficiency during bovine serum albumin (BSA) removal was investigated. Three different ratios were determined for ruthenium dioxide, and membranes containing 0.5% RuO2, 0.75% RuO2 and 1% RuO2 in terms of weight were prepared by phase transformation method. The characterization of the prepared membranes was determined by Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dissipative X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), pore structure contact angle and average pore size measurements. Using a dead-end filtration system, the pure water flow and the performance of the membranes against fouling under different pressures were investigated. While an increase was observed in the pore number of the doped membranes, it was determined that the pore sizes decreased, the hydrophilic properties of the membranes increased and the pure water flux improved. It was determined that when the nanoparticles increased from 0% to 1.00% in terms of weight in the membranes, the porosity increased from 56.83% to 68.94%, and the pore size decreased from 16.47 nm to 6.05 nm. It was observed that while the pure water flow rate was 439.7 L/m2/h in the pure membrane, it decreased to 379 L/m2/h in the membrane with 1% RuO2 by weight. It was determined that the BSA rejection efficiency increased from 45.5% to 92.6% in the 1% by weight RuO2 doped membrane. It has been determined in line with the data obtained that RuO2 doped membranes play an important role in reducing membrane pollution during BSA filtration and show suitable properties in terms of energy efficiency. Keywords: Nanomaterial Doped Polyethersulfone (PES) Membrane Membrane, Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA), Ruthenium dioxide (RuO2), Energy Efficiency in Polymeric Membranes