This study aimed to design a facile and efficient protocol for upgrading the performance indices of polysulfone (PS) membrane (porosity, hydrophilicity, pure water flux (PWF), surface charge, and fouling-resistance) by blending with newly synthesized poly(ionic) crosslinked chitosan Schiff bases (PICCSBs). The PS-PICCSBs mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) have successfully fabricated and characterized based on spectral and microscopic analyses, porosity, zeta potential, water contact angle, and water uptake (wettability) measurements. The PWF, fouling-resistance against bovine serum albumin (BSA), as well as ion exchange capacity (IEC) against nitrate anion were studied. The wettability, hydrophilicity and overall porosity of new MMMs have greatly increased, in comparison to a pristine PS membrane (M0). In addition, blending of PS with PICCSBs resulted in switching its surface from negatively- to positively-charged. The PWF of MMMs has increased to reach a maximum value of 238.6 L/m2 h for MMM1 (9.3-fold higher than M0). Meanwhile, BSA rejection has declined from 96.62% for M0 to 41.9% for MMM1. The fouling parameters results of MMMs indicated their low fouling propensity. The IEC of nitrate anions revealed that the nitrate uptake by MMM1 is higher than that for M0 and MMM2 by 34% and 14%, respectively.
Keywords: Denitrification process performance; Mixed-matrix membranes; Poly(ionic) crosslinked chitosan Schiff bases.
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