Effect of TiO2 nanoparticles on fouling mitigation of ultrafiltration membranes for activated sludge filtration

Membrane performances were changed by addition of TiO2 nanoparticles to the casting solution. TiO2 entrapped membrane showed lower flux decline compared to that of neat polymeric membrane. Fouling mitigation effect increased with nanoparticle content, but it reached limit content above which fouling mitigation did not increase. Regardless of polymeric materials, membrane fouling was mitigated by TiO2 immobilization. TiO2 deposited membrane showed greater fouling mitigation effect compared to that of TiO2 entrapped membrane, since larger amount of nanoparticle was located on membrane surface. It can be concluded that TiO2 immobilized membranes are simple and powerful alternative for fouling mitigation in MBR application.