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Application of Tailored Nanofiltration Membranes for Removal of IBP, NPR and DCF from Wastewater Effluents

Abstract

This study concentrates on the identification and quantification of three pharmaceutical compounds (ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac) in wastewater effluents collected from Adelaide wastewater treatment plant and greenway pollution control plant, London, ON, Canada. For sample preparation, liquid-liquid extraction techniques along with derivatization were followed and GC-FID was used for sample analysis. The target pharmaceuticals were present in the wastewater samples at concentrations in a range of 0.29-8.98 μg/L. For eradicating or removing the above mentioned organic compounds from water, Nanofiltration (NF) membranes were used in this study. Different types of NF membranes were prepared following the technology of Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSNF) membranes where commercially available PTFE ultrafiltration membranes as well as laboratory made polysulfone ultrafiltration membranes served as the base supports, and poly (dimethylsiloxane) as the thin active layer. For membrane characterization, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) were performed. The performance of the membranes was studied by monitoring permeability along with the removal capacity using a dead end filtration system, under a pressure range of 5~30 bars. A commercially available polyimide membrane, DuraMem, was also exploited to compare the membrane performance. The 2.5% PTFE/PDMS (RTV 615) membranes showed the highest performance in the removal of ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac; Hansen’s solubility parameter approach was adopted to explain the removal mechanism of pharmaceutical compounds.

 Ambareen Atisha*, Mark Bernards, Ernest K Yanful, Wojciech Kujawski

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