Investigation of phosphorylated TiO2-SiO2 particles/polysulfone composite membrane for wastewater treatment

Phosphorylated TiO2-SiO2 (PTS) particles with good hydrophilicity were first synthesized by the sol-gel method and then added into a polysulfone (PSF) membrane to prepare a PTS/PSF composite membrane through a phase inversion process. The hydrophilic properties of the PTS particles were explained by a model proposed by Tanabe. The properties of the particles and membranes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), contact angle of water, permeate flux, tensile strength and practical applications of membranes respectively. The results show that PTS particles are uniformly dispersed in the PTS/PSF composite membrane and the water contact angle of the membrane declines from 78.0° to 45.5°, which indicates the good hydrophilic nature of PTS particles. A comparison test of the PTS/PSF composite membrane demonstrates its higher hydrophilicity, anti-fouling and anti-compaction characteristics than other membranes, such as PSF, SiO2/PSF and phosphorylated Zr-doped hybrid silica (SZP)/PSF. Therefore, PTS/PSF composite membranes are desirable for treating wastewater containing oil.