What is it about?
Fouling is one of the bottlenecks which limits the use of a membrane in separation science. In this article, we present the use of a biopolymer sericin as a coating agent to enhance the antifouling properties of a commercially available microfiltration (MF) membrane. This work presents a novel method for membrane modification, process optimization, characterization for enhanced permeation properties, and its application for wastewater treatment (i.e., greywater, produced water).
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Why is it important?
The fouling related issues limit the use of polymeric membrane otherwise very promising in water treatment. In this article, we present a very facile and novel method of sericin coating on the membrane to enhance its water permeation and antifouling properties. The major findings of this study include: (a) sericin coating significantly enhanced the membrane hydrophilicity (b) the sericin-coated membrane exhibited comparatively less reversible and irreversible fouling with greywater and produced water filtration. This study establishes the use of sericin as a smart material to enhance membrane performance and service life.
Perspectives
I hope this article will attract readers and researchers as the issue of membrane fouling is long-standing and still persisting. The use of biopolymer sericin for membrane modification is very unique and promising. The results with greywater and produced water filtration ascertain its usability and vast applicability. This research opens up the arena for use of sericin and related materials in the filed of membrane technology. I hope the readers must find it interesting how a waste product from the silk industry has found its way in the field of membrane science. The co-author of this article had a long career in the field of membrane technology and process optimization. It was a great pleasure to work with him and we shared a lot of experience and knowledge.
Dr. Vishal Kumar Verma
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Fouling resistant sericin‐coated polymeric microfiltration membrane, Journal of Chemical Technology & Biotechnology, August 2019, Wiley,
DOI: 10.1002/jctb.6169.
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