Silver doped titania nanotubes incorporated photocatalytic dual layer antibiofouling hollow fiber membrane for palm oil wastewater treatment

Photocatalytic dual layer hollow fiber membrane (DLHFM) is advantageous over its single layer counterpart due to a better photocatalyst dispersion on the outer layer to maximize the potential of the photocatalyst in improving the overall membrane performance. In this study, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) dual-layer hollow fiber membrane with antibiofouling properties was successfully synthesized via dry-wet spinning phase inversion method, where the Ag-TNT was incorporated onto the outer layer membrane for photocatalytic degradation of AT-POME pigments in a submerged membrane photoreactor (SMPR). The results revealed that the incorporation of Ag-TNT into the PVDF matrix increased pure water flux from 16.20 L/m2 h for pristine PVDF membrane to 37.12 L/m2 h. The synergistic advantages of photocatalysis and membrane filtration was exhibited by the photocatalytic Ag-TNT membrane which showed the highest AT-POME color removal efficiency of 84.0% compared to the other membranes prepared in this work. With the presence of silver nanoparticles, the modified membrane exhibited antibacterial efficiency of 95.8% with a 1.73 mm inhibition zone around the membrane against P. aeruginosa. Based on the results obtained, the photocatalytic PVDF Ag-TNT membrane showed immense potential as an innovative technology for water reclamation in the palm oil industry