Development of Multifunctional Nanofibrous Membrane Material for Biological Wastewater Treatment

In this study, a hybrid multifunctional membrane, which integrates a polymer-based electrospun nanofibrous membrane to a macro-porous open-foam biofilm carrier, is developed and fabricated for membrane bioreactor applications. In particular, the membrane will have to satisfy two functional requirements: (i) improving filtration performance by alleviating membrane fouling; and (ii) enhancing sustainable growth of biofilm for improved organic removal. The nanofibrous membrane, consisting of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) was prepared by electrospinning. The open-cell biofilm carrier was fabricated by compression molding and salt leaching using PVDF. Then, the adhesion of the nanofibrous membrane to the open-cell foam was achieved at elevated temperature with the assistance by supercritical carbon dioxide (ScCO2).

The effects of processing parameters of the electrospinning process and material formulation on the morphology of the membrane have been investigated and then the effect of MWCNT loading on the filtration performance of the membranes were investigated.