FURI | Spring 2024

Microfiltration Polysulfone Membranes for Polar Product Recovery

The research to be conducted aims to understand how to make polysulfone (PSU) microfiltration and ultrafiltration membranes and test for polyol retention, specifically polyethylene glycol (PEG). The separation method being tested will be dead-end cell filtration. Dead-end filtration works by arranging the flow direction of the feed solution to be perpendicular to the membrane. This work will highlight characterizations of PSU membranes through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and PEG through size-exclusion chromatography (SEC). Testing various PSU membranes can be used as a sector of which wastewater treatment plants can implement to improve water quality.