1 research outputs found
A Novel Approach for the Development of Low-Cost Polymeric Thin-Film Nanocomposite Membranes for the Biomacromolecule Separation
The separation of biomacromolecules, mainly proteins,
plays a significant
role in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Among the membranes’
techniques, thin-film nanocomposite nanofiltration membranes are the
best choice due to their high energy efficiency, excellent productivity,
cost-effective and tuneable properties that have captured the attention
of the efficient separation of biomacromolecules, especially from
the industrial perspective. The present work directs the efficient
separation study of proteins, namely, lysozyme, trypsin, pepsin, bovine
serum albumin (BSA), and cephalexin, using a thin-film nanocomposite
membrane integrated with Arg-MMT (arginine-montmorillonite) clay nanoparticles.
The surface morphology and cross-section images of the TFN membranes
were studied using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM)
and a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM). The
thermal stability and hydrophilicity of the membranes were examined
using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and contact angle, respectively.
The surface chemistry of the selective layer has different functional
groups that were analyzed using FTIR spectroscopy. The performance
of the membranes was studied at different trans-membrane pressures
and permeation times. The effect of monomer concentration on the separation
performance of the membranes was also studied at different permeation
times. The membranes’ antibacterial activity was evaluated
using the Muller–Hinton disk diffusion method using gram-negative Escherichia coli (E. coli) and gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) bacteria.
The highest rejection was achieved for BSA up to 98.92 ± 1%,
and the highest permeation was obtained against lysozyme feed solution
up to 26 L m–2 h–1 at 5 bar pressure.
The membrane also illustrated excellent rejection of cephalexin antibiotics
with a rejection of 98.17 ± 1.75% and a permeation flux of 26.14
L m–2 h–1. The antifouling study
performed for the membranes exhibited a flux recovery ratio of 86.48%.
The fabricated thin-film nanocomposite membrane demonstrated a good
alternative for the separation of biomacromolecules and has the potential
to be used in different sectors of industry, especially the pharmaceutical
and food industry